"In memory of Gerard Philipe" "When this story was filmed" "Africa was not yet independent" "And Gold Coast" "Was not called Ghana" "What story?" "Our trip to Kourmi in Ghana" "We used to call it the Gold Coast" "Where people go for money..." "Clothes and all rich things" "Pierre Braunberger Presents" "JAGUAR by Jean Rouch" "It starts in Ayoru" "There were three of us" "Three friends:" "Lam, Illo and Damouré" "Here is Lam" "Lam is a Fulani cowherd" "His real name is Ibrahima Dia" "We call him Lam, Lamido means little" "And Lam is a real little chief" "Lam is brave" "He seldom talks like all good Moslems" "He's our lifelong friend" "I am Lam Ibrahim Dia the cowherd" "I lead my cattle to the river with my young brother" "Called Abdullay" "That's where our second friend lives, Illo Gaoudel" "Illo is a Sorko," "His master is Malam Amisou" "He knows the river." "He speaks to the hippopotamus." "Illo, magician of the river." "Illo is a deep one." "He wants to be a Moslem" "I am Illo Gaoudel," "I am an apprentice fisherman with Malam Amisou," "I fish around these parts," "I am a fisherman of Kutugu." "I knows all kinds of canoes and their ways." "Nobody knows more than me." "Damouré, our third friend," "Is a little rascal." "Damouré didn't like school." "What he loves is to gallop on his horse Damouré!" "Damouré!" "Ah you..." "Now we're on the horse" "Don't we look good to the girls!" "Lam the cowherd," "Illo and Damouré the ladies' man meet every week on Sunday at Ayoru market." "Ayoru market is fantastic." "That is where the people of river and town get together." "Everything is decided there" "Weddings, adventures, wars, journeys." "That is where we decided to go on a trip." "There goes Lam" "He comes from the bush with his cattle to sell a bull for the trip" "But he took all his herd" "Just to sell one bull!" "So he won't feel the loss." "Lam is sad but has money" "Now he goes to our meeting place, under the tree" "Damouré is public scribe" "Under that tree we decide to leave" "With Illo the fisherman to go to Kumasi to the Gold Coast" "What's new Lam?" "Now we write" "Albora my interpreter" "He translates I don't speak Bella" "I read tax papers" "I make ten francs" "Look at this man" "He must pay 15.800 francs taxes" "Man, he's rich." "He has lots of cattle" "He asks where he should take the money." "There is no money at taxation time." "Near our tree sit the card players the young men who went to Kumasi the Kurmize" "We must also go." "Yes, we must go." "We must go to the Gold Coast." "What can we do?" "Those who went play cards all year no one laughs." "But the girls laugh at us, no, we must go there..." ""Albora is allowed to replace me for two months..."" "I am off to Kumasi with Lam the Fulani and Illo." ""the Sorko", signed Damouré..." "Right." "Now boys, we must say our Sola (good bye)" "It is not easy, it takes on month to go to Gold Coast" "One month and five days," "One month and twenty days..." "Do you have identity cards ?" ".." "You know something?" "I don't..." "Illo, I know about bush life." "When you go on a trip." "You need calabashes." "For drinking water." "You said it." "Let us take gourds." "Here, that one." "And another." "Hold it." "Wait, let me get some." "Now, how do you fix them?" "I'll fix them." "Right." "O.K." "Make a cut here, see?" "Cut it properly" "There you put a piece of wood to keep the dirt out." "Quick work" "We can be quick" "One for our friend." "Now let us tie them together" "Now let's go to the river" "Fill them with water" "If you are going to walk, you need calabashes." "When I go to the pastures" "I have my calabash with me." "Now we go." "I know all about journeys" "I know the ways of travel" "First you ask the good Lord the way" "That is why our pals," "Lam and Illo who are Moslems, have gone to the Walina celebration the descent of the Qran" "in Walima" "We meet another friend:" "Duma Besso" "He is an old Gold Coaster who told us a lot about it." "He says he saw a house with several stories" "He's already been twice" "Duma is a lucky one." "He has a house with one storey." "We have nothing, only our feet" "We bless the Lord so he will smooth our way" "We ask the spirits to show us our way the "Holey" spirits" "We must ask...what is the way..." "We want to go to Gold Coast..." "to make money" "We must know the way..." "The way must be right, we must come back back to our country with lots of money to buy food" "and give to everybody..." "Illo, look, according to the spirits we need a vulture's beak we are lucky there is one" "Get a move on!" "Hurry" "Look out" "That's bad" "Cut its throat...there, that's it" "Look at the beak." "That's something." "Now it is over" "Now the Lord told us the way and the Holey told us" "We must ask the Sohantié Wanzerbé" "Wanzerbé is in Songhay country, in the Goruol" "There live the best sorcerers of Niger, the Schantié" "So one day we get to Wanzerbé" "We go by the barren tree near the well and by the well, we see all the lovely girls" "Ladies it's an honor to greet you as we pass your village on our way to see Mossi on business of our own." "But before we see Mossi we ask you for a little water." "Then Mossi throws the "stars"" "and counts the evens and odds." "Diam!" "Danger!" "Mossi says to us" ""Walay!" "come back, tonight, in the dark, the evil is not seen."" "That night" "Mossi casts the seven cowries, the shells that tell the future." "Diam!" "The way is bad!" "very bad is the way..." "You will have accidents, sickness, the way is bad..." "Subahana!" "ill fate!" "And Mossi adds: "The way is easier when you get to Gold Coast, at the crossroads," "If you break up, each going alone on his way, then you might avoid accidents and sickness." "Later you can meet and then, in the name of God, the way will be good..." "the way is good!"." "and Mossi blesses our way with earth...the way is good!" "The way is very good..." "Now we reach Dahomey..." "That is why we don't ride in cars," "That truck wheels in the air," "A truck feet in the air, ain't so good." "See... a smashed truck..." "Do they give the people who crash money?" "Tough luck!" "Well, we are on our feet... so we should give them money?" "None of our business." "Our shoes are worn who gives us money?" "Nobody." "Look at the mountains, we've traveled!" "This is North Dahomey." "Somba country." "Somba?" "Yes, don't you know Sombaland?" "Yeah!" "Natitingu is near" "Their huts are fit for mice!" "Those are used for grain." "At school, they said the Sombas are people who don't want clothes" "So they sell them soap..." "What for?" "That is the Sombas' way." "Illo does not want the Somba's water..." "Hey it's no good." "These Somba." "Oh!" "What's that?" "Do you see?" "I see something, down there," "White it's his thing, his you know..." "I'm getting out!" "No, don't run, here they are all medicine men, skulls, stones and blood..." "They are all medicine men!" "I never saw that before..." "I heard tell..." "about medicine men... and Sombas going about naked, and now I am here and I am not sure if they are men." "That hut burnt last night." "In the morning... the Somba women dig the earth to build it again." "But they are naked!" "Look at their Somba finery, look at their mouth, they think it is pretty." "It's true, you said they were naked..." "Yes, they say a country changes you you don't change it." "That is why I, Damouré the gentleman, now strip." "Look the Somba market, they are all naked," "Look at the old one, look at his sex, Allah!" "Lam, did you see the old one?" "He's angry that we should be looking at him but he can't say nothing 'cause we didn't laugh..." "If we laughed, he'd be furious." "Look!" "feathers in his nose." "Yeah!" "That's the way" "Of young gentlemen." "Hey it's great, saw the Somba!" "That woman a pipe." "Look at the Somba, never seen 'em if not to-day." "And the old one keeps looking." "What a hat!" "They are rich, they wear specs." "They are going to dance." "These Somba are really nice folk." "Lam and Illo!" "There's no reason to make fun of them." "The Lord said so, and he wanted us to wear clothes, so we shouldn't laugh at them." "they're real nice." "They're the same as us." "Yes, that's true." "Anyway they are really good." "You said it." "Good by, Sombas." "Good by, north Dahomey." "Good bye, Natitingu, 'til then." "Now to wash our little feet, this is a country with plenty of water..." "We must fill our calabashes." "Did no one tell you that the way is long?" "No one told me..." "If I'd been told, I'd have stayed." "Twenty six days to-day..." "You've been going." "Yes, we have still eleven days to go." "Look at those trees." "D'you think the Lord makes 'em?" "I don't think so." "Those are some trees!" "And that mountain!" "They cut a road through the rock." "Look!" "Aren't you scared to be there?" "Illo is asking me." "whether the Lord or man made such a road." "In this country they have bridges" "Long bridges..." "But the people around here like bridges," "They like 'em a lot" "So they paint them red..." "At the bridge we should wash because we sweat too much, hey?" "Come and wash!" "Damouré, this is it," "Good washing spot..." "Now we are lost." "We don't know where we are." "Here is the sea, we heard about it long ago." "Feel how good the wind feels," "That's what they call the sea." "SO!" "That's it" "Give me that," "You aren't very brave!" "The Lord put food on trees!" "Wait, is it true?" "take a good look..." "Did you win?" "Yes, I won!" "Great, food in the air!" "I am coming down O.K. Hop!" "They are magnificent!" "They are good to eat, no germs." "They are up top, germs can't climb the tree!" "Here is a coconut, it is extraordinary boy, it's so good, it's better than cheese." "it's good, it sure is good, it's better than milk also." "Eat that, it's enough" "Oh boy, it's sweet." "This and chocolate." "We'd better go quickly, the tree doesn't belong to us, if the owner comes we'll go to jail..." "Let's run!" "Does it belong?" "Sure it does, it's in somebody's field..." "We'd better go." "Right." "We go through the flowers and we follow the seashore 'cause we love the sea..." "There are beautiful boats on the sea." "It's nice by the sea..." "You can lie in the sand" "What is that what is it called?" "It's Lomé in Togo" "Is that Lomé?" "Is that a star?" "It is a snow star." "It's an animal." "which lives in the sea, but now the waves pushed it ashore." "Is it a real star?" "a sea star" "Yes." "It brings luck..." "I'll put it on my head!" "We're happy!" "Look out!" "Customs." "customs!" "what, what..." "It's the customs shed!" "We must stop." "Me, I'm going to see the police but careful...careful, to see how we'll get through..." "Right?" "now we must be real sharp." "Customs, always customs;" "but we have nothing..." "Well!" "Hello mister customs man!" "Hello!" "You see, I want to take a walk on the other side..." "Just to take a walk," "Don't tell them." "you went to stay with no identity card" "Is that so, Lam?" "You sure?" "It is, we have no identity cards." "What are you going to do?" "Well, boy, you are clever!" "The English police in their mourning clothes, numbered like milestones, he sent me to his boss..." "Let's do as he says." "Here is the boss, the other leaves." "No sir, it's for..." "No, he says, nothing doing." "so, back to my pals..." "Damouré, Illo, come!" "Well, pal, there is no way," "I went to see the English police" ""no identity card, customs, police" you know they're fools." "never look behind, we can walk through." "they always look straight ahead, so..." "Well, now they have been had!" "You know Mossi's charms, they aren't for nothing..." "The Sohantié back home they really know something." "We just sailed through!" "Like the vulture... at the crossroads" "Mossi had said split up so we didn't get to Gold Coast together." "I said good bye to Lam and to Illo." "Lam and Illo went to Keta." "Good bye Illo, good bye Lam," "Bye, Damouré!" "They go to Keta and I go to Accra" "In two months, we'll meet in Accra to go and see our pal Damouré..." "And I, I have what I want," "I'll tell you" "I go with the fishermen." "Good bye then, Lam!" "Bye Illo:" "Now I go to Accra alone, I've left my friends." "On the road there are buses everywhere..." "Is that, mail?" "No, it's a coach for passengers." "So!" "I'll take the coach..." "I didn't know," "I thought you traveled free." "Don't you?" "They push me out, they give me my hat" "They aren't nice!" "You look good wearing that hat." "I am sad." "I go away." "Well, all the way from Niger..." "might as well go on..." "Look out!" "Here comes luck..." "Stop!" "Sadu!" "fancy meeting you here!" "Give me a ride to Accra." "There you are, God always cares, I meet a friend..." "And here I am in his lorry." "I'm the goods!" "The real goods!" "I'm real handsome," "Goddamit!" "Look how they watch me!" "Better hold my hat!" "No, better show them how we cut our hair in Niger!" "Think you own the road or something?" "This is it..." "Hey!" "horses..." "Yeah, it's Accra." "Accra, here?" "Yes, one morning we arrived in Accra town." "Now to start looking..." "I'm looking for fellow tribesmen," "Have to keep dodging cars because there are too many." "The traffic is too much traffic." "Every day a cop, standing from morn until night waves the trucks on." "otherwise, crash!" "All the time, always..." "There are the bottle merchants." "There, those are our people, people of Niger, of Anzuru..." "All day they wash bottles." "Want to know why?" "Why?" "When the Mamies come to buy a little groundnut oil," "They don't bring a basin." "They buy a bottle there two francs," "a "kobo" is nothing..." "There you have the cans..." "Ah the bottle-izers." "Empty cans." "Those are people from Zermaganda." "See all those old cans..." "Want to buy something too?" "Look at the roads, all tarred, no dust." "You said it, boy!" "You said it." "What a city, see me over there?" "I'm lost." "Look, to cross the street..." "Accra is fine." "Yeah Accra's not bad," "You have to run, and I'm lost..." "I don't even know what I'm doing." "There are the people of timber market." "What timber?" "Timber, boards, they have all that." "What, the Nigerians do that?" "Yeah!" "The boss is Yakuba..." "So, Yakuba hired me as a laborer and I push the "toroko" (truck)," "You pick the boards..." "You load'em on the truck..." "One day, Yakuba says to push the truck alone to see if I'm real strong," "You're tough!" "Yeah!" "Real strong..." "So my boss asks, "Did you go to school?"" "Is that him?" "Yakuba?" "Yes siree, I can read, "Come", he says," "2, 4, 6, 8 10 times 10 is 100," "110, 115, 135." "Now write the figure in the book!" "This morning, you have sold exactly 263 boards, that's good money's coming in easily..." "Now I'm headman he's pleased like all headmen cheaters!" "I'm promoted." "Swell!" "It's so hot I had to buy specs now I show'em off!" "Hey!" "You there come here..." "Yes boss..." ""I'm the boss round here, see?"" "What's this?" "an empty truck, this won't do Goddammit!" "You just can't do anything with them blacks" "I've come to see the boss," "I ask him to pay me." "Know his name?" "Yes" "He's called Mumuni, he's a Hausa..." "He's not a Zarma?" "He's a Hausa businessman." "What's he counting?" "Pounds to pay me, ten pounds." "Yes, well I came to Kumasi to work" "What I make in a month." "Now I'll go and see the clothes vendor, to buy a new "boubou" and take that one off." "Because here no one dresses like me." "I'm leaving the bush," "I'm going to stay in town I have to buy a "boubou"." "See the one I'm gonna buy..." "The owner comes out, he says "one pound", I say "No!"" "I'll buy it just the same because it's good, I'll wear it..." "You see, I bought it." "Hey!" "You gonna change?" "Yes!" "But can you do it there!" "Sure I can." "Now the old one" "I'll keep, I don't throw it away." "So!" "You keep it." "Yes when I go home, I'll wear it..." "The one I bought is to walk in Kumasi" "Just to walk about in Kumasi market?" "Yes!" "Kumasi market is big!" "Yes, that's a real big market..." "Look!" "Never saw such a big market!" "All this is the market, they have everything." "Even trucks drive in the market." "Even trucks?" "Here is the road." ""To Kumasi market"." "I walk" "Just to look around." "Why not walk slowly?" "It's a big market, you can't walk slowly..." "I have to run to see it all..." "Today?" "But it's impossible to see it all today." "Running?" "Running helps some..." "Don't you get tired?" "Not at all, I want to see everything." "That's good!" "Everything that's why" "see?" "the salt merchants..." "All those sell salt and there, salt merchants..." "Who sells the salt there?" "The "Gaos" sell the salt." "From Gao?" "That's the one who sells yams?" "Yes." "Who also sells yams?" "Two sell yams: the "Gaos" and the Ashanti mamies..." "I'll show you!" "You want to see?" "Yes, because I've never been here." "Want to know?" "Don't you get tired?" "No, never, I listen..." "O.K. Let's go on." "I'll show you..." "What a crowd!" "The women have come to buy spice." "Look a sewing machine!" "Yes, those are people who make clothes on the market..." "See the necklace..." "Pearls!" "I went to look." "They got swell pearls here." "You said it!" "You are going to buy some!" "Yes, for my girls." "Aren't you married?" "Not at all..." "Didn't you know." "Well, ain't that fine!" "What d'you say?" "I say it's pretty..." "Well, I'm going to buy a cup." "How much?" "Six shillings?" "Who's that man looking behind you with a helmet?" "Every day he takes one "kobo" (one cent)" "Is he a cop?" "You see my pal?" "He's my pal from Gao." "I tell him I've come to see the "nyama nyama"..." "I get a job" "I'm display-man now I sell perfume" "I sell dresses... and I sell handkerchiefs..." "Are you a ... "petty tyrader"." "Yes indeed!" "But all the same all this is not for me." "I must go home to look after my cattle." "I've come to Gold Coast, and go..." "See this, it's peppermint." "Very good, take it," "You, Madam, buy this," "It's real good..." "Do you see?" "I sell all this." "All this," "Do you see?" "All that stuff?" "Yes, all that." "What's he smoke" "Cigarettes, that's a Yoruba he's Yoruba" "The girl there, always comes close to me, wants to get hitched." "Because!" "Single man should get married!" "Look the train?" "Ah!" "Is that the train?" "Yes, that is it!" "But it is long!" "It's like that the first time." "I look, so I can tell the folks..." "Can you cross there when it has gone away?" "It's dangerous?" "Sure is." "One day the police arrested me." "Now Illo has arrived in Accra," "He has gone to the harbor and has become "kaya kaya", carrier..." "You see all this," "It's our people who do that..." "Yes, we are in Accra, Gold Coast!" "Yes, Accra..." "Gold Coast..." "Illo is there?" "He works there to make money" "A Kaya Kaya makes only two or two and a half shillings for a whole day's work!" "So Illo puts everything into his "toroko", and you see him pushing it with five sacks on it." "It's tough making money, you work hard here" "We are men, and God he says men must work to eat..." "it's tiring!" "Now, Illo is tired." "He looks hungry." "In Gold Coast, the meat merchants crates are well closed!" "So he cuts pieces of meat." "That's how he eats the kaya kaya they don't eat good if they eat good, they spend money..." "After this "good" meal" "Illo is back on the job, unloading crates..." "With all this sweat, when they get home their wives are not pleased." "'cause the women, she don't see!" "The women!" "You have to tell them, pal!" "Have to work..." "You bet..." "Bah, explain to a woman?" "She don't understand" "Illo has friends among the kaya kaya." "One day, his friends say:" ""you must try to find work on the other side, by the sea;" "'cause it's by the sea that you can make money... if the Lord helps, and if you don't gamble it all away'"" "Whisky?" "If you "win" a bottle of whisky you get thirty shillings!" "If you bring a bottle to the Frenchman!" "The Frenchmen!" "Sure like whisky... drink it 'til their mouth rots!" "And then talk, talk, talk..." "Don't know what they say..." "Oh boy, if Illo is smart he drinks a bit he don't drink!" "he kicks the bottle out of sight and then later he picks it up, that's the trick..." "Don't they check down there?" "Check?" "The cops are worse than thieves!" "A good place for thieves!" "You said it..." "I'm sent to the forests by Yakuba, my master." "Wawa!" "That's good for making canoes." "The wawa is a she-tree when it falls, it cries softly." "The second tree is mahogany." "Mahogany is a he-tree, he's a man, falls all of a piece..." "Mahogany... it's good for beams..." "Boss, this is what we managed to do, I went to the woods and bought lots of timber." "He's real pleased" "He tells me to ride with him to go to another wood..." "Boy he is happy!" "He sure is!" "Well, good by gentlemen!" "I'm going to the site where I'm to work..." "We leave the woodcutters go to his compound in lagos town where he's building.." "I'm a building headman." "Lagos town?" "It's a part of Accra... a new part so he says: "Look, all this is for me, and these are the men you must watch."" "You there, you seem a lawy bum, stand aside!" "You, what are you doing?" "get busy!" "Go on, get to work!"" "You the boss?" "Yeah..." ""You there, stop listening like a fool." "Get going, Don't talk back..." "What do we do?" "Nooo!" "Not like that!" "Bend down!" "That's it." "No hat on your head!" "You're sick?" "We don't care!" "If you're sick go away instead of standing around gaping."" "Look at that no-good bum!" "Now I walk through the streets, I've become "Jaguar";" "What does Jaguar mean?" "Well..." "Jaguar is a keen young man with a nice hairdo who smokes" "who walks around." "Everybody watches him." "He sees lovely girls, smokes his cigarette nice and easy" "That's what Jaguar means!" "A real character, a real gentleman, a "zazouman"!" "The "zazouman"" "is Jaguar?" "Yes, "zazouman" is Jaguar." "In French you say "zazouman"" "You say that in French, don't you?" "Yes, in English, you "Jaguar"...." "He smokes, real smart." "A Jaguar is polite" "Old man says hello!" "Oh, that old man..." "Yeah, he's an old man" "I know..." "He says to come and see a feast like I've never seen before." "What kind of celebration?" "It's the CPP celebration." "Freedom!" "Liberty" "I come from Accra, I come to sell materials." "Loincloths." "What's all that smoke over there?" "That smoke scares me!" "You see I ran away, I don't know about that smoke, it sure scares me." "What's that swinging overhead?" "Up in the air!" "I arrived today, I don't know what it is" "What you see up there moving it's the sand it's earth which comes out of the holes of the gold mines." "Those people with a steel helmet like old soldiers." "Napoleon's soldiers." "They are miners." "Miners?" "They find gold there?" "Who's that one?" "D'you recognize who he is?" "Hey, don't you see?" "The one who is being searched he's our friend, Duma Besso, Besso..." "He's strong like a bull." "Yeah, that's him!" "He's always chewing on something come what may, he's always eating it's his only interest in life." "With his helmet on his head and his little lamp he stayed down eight hours, three thousand feet under the earth..." "His head looks just like the head of a hippopotamus, no joke!" "So after eight hours in the mine he comes out." "He looks at the shoe ad. but Duma don't care about shoes he's got his shoes, he walks bare foot" "Duma!" "Duma!" "Hey Duma, come here!" "Hello Duma!" "How's things, Duma?" "Fine, Lam, fine." "You're here?" "Yes, always." "What's your job?" "All the jobs I want." "Since I've arrived, I've been looking for you you look for me?" "Duma says he works in the mine, he stays down eight hours not seeing the sun without seeing the air in Obuasi." "There they put gold dust and they boil it you see the workers do it they pour it you bet the English and the cops watch!" "They melt the gold with plenty too much heat... you see now?" "The gold it's all cooked, it's gold water." "they pour it into molds, special molds..." "There, now they tip the mold take the lingot and dip it, to cool it, because it's still hot." "That's real gold!" "Yes, it's real gold." "They stack'em in rows." "The Africans never see this, I think..." "Now, they brush them for dust, once they are brushed, they put the factory's mark." "Why?" "To show where it's been made." "Then into a sack..." "Is that so?" "No one ever sees it again?" "They tie it... where is it going?" "Duma!" "They send it to London to a safe so nobody can do nothing with it!" "It's a shame, all we have is bad gold..." "You can say that again, it stays there, in England, nobody can use it," "that's it!" "The English rob us, they take our gold away and keep it in their country." "Duma followed Lam's advice," "It's a difficult job, you always end up with tuberculosis." "Lam tells him to come as his carrier." "They will go to Kumasi to sell clothes." "Meanwhile, Illo is still among his canoes." "In this country, they paint the canoes, they put numbers and letters." "Illo spends his days sleeping, he sleeps on a canoe so nobody bothers him, near the Governor's house..." "Gold Coast number one!" "Now Illo is looking for a hairdresser" "He asks the kids." "Illo is nice, ain't he?" "Just like a toad!" "Ah, he found a hairdresser, he wets his hair." "Can he still carry fish that way?" "Can't he?" "His head is hard!" "He has a head like a camel." "Now he must think of God because he has robbed too much." "Oh boy, his head's so hard" "Well you know he doesn't care he prays anywhere, any place." "Is he looking for the Moslem?" "No, for me!" "For Damouré" "Yes, he thinks I am in the bar." "Where were you?" "I was at the races, there I am!" "Look at my horse over there, I'm sure he'll win!" "Is yours number twelve?" "I go to talk to the Nigerians jockey..." "He's from my village." "I ask him." "I know him, isn't it Adamu?" "Yes, that's him!" "He rode your horse?" "Yes." "To bet, you just say: "twelve"." "We must speak English, no French... in English, - you say twelve." "Maybe" "I don't know French." "But I know English, - you say twelve." "Now the horses're off..." "Tomorrow is Sunday." "Everybody dresses up, I put on my suit to take a walk in Accra." "It's the day when I look at advertisements, at celebrations, and at girls..." "They come from church" "They are the believers!" "That's where you pray God." "They're lovely girls the choice girls go and ask the Lord..." "If I were Christian, I'd go there." "Martell brandy well let's try a Martell brandy." "Look at the dancing!" "Everyone in this country dances!" "At funerals they dance." "He's in the box..." "Yes." "He's sound asleep!" "The campaign!" "Adam!" "The motorcycles," "The automobiles, the trucks loaded with waving men." ""Freedom, freedom"" "Look." "Damouré!" "I'm a photographer, for the election day, the Prime Minister is coming!" "How can I be like that?" "You, Prime Minister!" "Look at Damouré!" "There goes one picture taken, oh, look, hairless heads!" "Now, we'll take a picture." "Is that N'Krumah?" "which one?" "You see him, there, behind the guy in the black suit." "There, N'Krumah!" "So that's him?" "Yes, wearing national dress." "He's well fed anyway, he's real fat." "The ministers are fat." "After the CPP dances, I go to the bar." "I salute the drawings." "What for?" "Because they are swell." "Another drawing, oh boy, it's real good." "Well, Illo?" "Illo, he says: "You're crazy"" "Now you drink?" "No, no, I'm no lush" "I just had a little taste, Goddammit, my poor head!" "Right, let's get out of here" "Let's go to the seashore air is good for drunks." "I don't like what you're doing, no good!" "Mohammed's water" "It's not true, it's bad, but why d'you drink?" "To be like Mohammed..." "Are you crazy or something?" "Marabout water..." "It's not marabout water so you say not to drink?" "It's no good!" "Go on, you have a drink you Goddam Moslem..." "So he says: "This country's no good for us if you start drinking, let's go."" "So one day we left for Kumasi, to go looking for Duma and Lam." "We board the train." "my bag porter because" "I was boss, I was everything." "This train for Kumasi?" "Illo sticks to me" "People come to say good bye to their good headman." ""Don't worry, I'm going to rest, I'll be back."" "Lam received a telegram he tells douma that Damouré and Illo are coming." ""You know Duma, he says, we have to clean up because Damouré criticizes everything, if he finds dust there'll be no stopping him."" "Now we get off the train, we go to look for our friends." "Illo, you go first, you know Kumasi," "I'm your boss because you carry my bag!" "No!" "The boss goes first" "Follow me, you can't read." "You see there is written KU-MA-SI." "What's that KUMASI, Kew..." "Kew..." "No, Koo, the English say Koo..." "Crazy these Englishmen!" "No, it's a different language..." "Hi Duma!" "What's news?" "Welcome!" "I sell everything." "Is that your shop?" "Boy, you're rich." "This don't fit..." "Only yesterday" "I got your letter" "Everything O.K.?" "Sure, and with you?" "How's Accra, good?" "It's tops, it's magnificent, it's sweet but I think that with a little organization, put all this junk together and gather it like this, right... wait a minute, these shirts are no good, Goddammit, they're stitched wrong!" "Look at these materials, they're awful, what a mess." "Now, let's organize something." "Our shop will now be called:" ""Little by little the bird makes his bonnet."" "There you are, "Little by little the bird makes his bonnet"" "What it means is: you must start things a little at a time, see?" "The English are something no one speaks French." "write: "for sale"" "like that you sell things here." "I'll be the clerk:" ""My dear son, I forgot the day I left my pipe in Zagouma's millet crib." "Tell your dear mother that the big sewing needle is near the fire" "I'm in very good health." "I will be home by first rains"." "People don't smoke" "Moslems don't smoke." "In Accra, there are people from the CPP who smoke." "Lam has explained to us that here you don't talk of CPP, if you do they cut your ears." "We are scared 'cause we just arrived." "Here you say "Islam"!" ""Islam" is building a mosque for all good believers..." "Boy, it's hard work to earn your share of God:" "Mamies bring food." "Wait!" "you bunch of apes" "Hey, everything's run out." "Well, they came to God's mosque" "God don't pay - "Islam, Islam"" "Come and see Adam and Eve, Adama and Hawa." "Boy, these papers, they're for the women," "Those who don't let men come close, so the husbands are punished" "Buy this to show your wives" "Lots of customers..." "They even have a map for travel." "Yes, in the shop." "The shop!" "They have handkerchiefs." "Everything's fine come and buy..." "Snakes and ladders," "Two can play or three or four." "Instead of chasing girls, you put a pawn there first one in the middle wins..." "Spend the evening doing it and nobody has time to go chasing whores to catch the clap..." "Look at this camera!" "no need to go to a photographer." "Come to us the most competitive!" "We sell cheaper, you can't beat us!" "Automatic hairbrushes here a brush, there a mirror." "no hair?" "shine your dome!" "remove the dust, girls love it now a black hat and you're "Jaguar"." "Mirrors from Paris straight from France." "We don't need Syrian junk don't run around, look we even have Queen Elizabeth." "We're the first with the queen..." "Daddy!" "Go away, tomorrow you'll be warm and you can work real good..." "Young man!" "you need a bonnet" "Now just look at me!" "Constipated?" "we have "fruit for sale" (Eno's Fruitsalt)" "Drink today and go tomorrow and make a big mountain your belly is empty, you can work in peace no problem, no need to see a doctor." "The other day." "I saw a man with itch" "I treated him with "Sunlight soap"" "No need to call the doctor, we have everything..." "There is everything for sale." "Just come to us and you'll be real satisfied..." "The automatic alarm clock it rings by itself, no need to wind and wind and wind..." "This country is spoiling Adam, We must leave." "Since we arrived hardly an accident, a train ran over a car, but nobody died, still, it is rather a pity, Adam." "Next morning, Mister Ibrahima Dia shopkeeper, takes his last "morning tea"" "his early cup" "We are going home there are four of us four who came" "four who are going home..." "Now we leave?" "We leave... "Little by little, the bird makes his bonnet"." "Bye "Little by little"... the "Lam, Damouré, Duma and Illo Company says good bye..." "Back to our lodgings..." "Our landlady who cooked our food is there standing... sad to see us go." "She puts her arm on Lam's shoulders he don't look at her." "Where's she from?" "She is from Gao married to" "a tailor." "Good bye landlady!" "she sees us go and she says : "Good bye, good bye"." "I hope that you will soon be back..." ""Super quality"" "Ah. there is our truck!" ""Super quality"." "Put in the luggage." "And let us fare well back home..." "Walay!" "Good bye friends!" "Good bye empty cans!" "Good bye can merchant!" "Good bye bicycle repairman!" "Good bye mamies of Kumasi!" "Good bye seller of nyama-nyama." "good bye!" "Young ladies, good bye!" "Elyzabeth II" " Good bye, good bye!" "Bye, bye!" "Each year, half a million go back before the rains, like Lam," "Damouré, Duma and Illo." "They have come to Gold Coast or Ivory Coast looking for money and adventure" "They have followed the ancestral road, the road of Alfa Hano or Babatu or Gazari who had come to the north in Gurunsi country to conquer the coast had been stopped by rivers and by the tse-tse fly..." "These young men, are heroes of the modern world..." "They don't bring prisoners as a century ago." "they bring luggage, they bring back wonderful tales, they bring wondrous lies..." "Their return is an apotheosis we walked for months we worked hard but never mind, all is forgotten." "Now we are going home we are like the riders of the past the village maiden came to greet..." "The difficulties no longer frighten us." "The only problem on the home stretch is the customs at the frontier of the Upper Volta." ""In the name of the law and my pocket..." "Fifty for law two hundred for me!" "And again customs in Po, the English trucks stop here." "You get out and board the French truck and the Po customs, boy it's so bad!" "It's better to say nothing at all!" "Now we're really back home skidding all over you have to get out and push..." "Hold my bag boy, it's full of precious goods." "Take it out and hold my friends' umbrella!" "You see Albora!" "You walk in front and be our interpreter 'cause we've forgotten the language" "since three months." "I forgot how to speak Zarma" "I only speak English..." "you interpret for me" "You there, you haven't forgotten, no matter, in a week, it'll come back... know nothing except French and English!" "Forget Zarma." "Well pal, how are you, good morning, Goddammit!" "Good, that's our house, let's get into our resthouse..." "Now old pal come on" "let's show the poor people the mats we bought mats they've never seen, from Gold Coast... wait, I'll show you!" "That is a lion look at his teeth..." "real fierce, hey boy!" "Illo has given away everything to his parents:" "Amisata got rings his fiddler three loincloths that's how he gave it all away..." ""I have nothing, I'm like when I left" "I have my health." "Thank God." "I went for you, I came back, you're all well" "I give you everything"..." "And you, nothing?" "I have nothing!" "your girl is dreamy." "What's her name?" "Hawa, she is called Hawa." ""Hawa, give me water" "I'm thirsty." "Thank you..." "It's not water I want, I want to talk with you" "I've come from Gold Coast, to marry you." "I'm going to marry you!"" "She's real happy" ""If you like, I'll marry you." "right, it's agreed..."" "Walay!" "The hard work starts, for which we came back from Gold Coast." "Duma Besso, the well-known farmer, goes to his field..." "Besso!" "Go on, work!" "Walay!" "You are happy, you are strong you have not brought back shame from Gold Coast." "you did not forget your parents." "you work for your father and mother." "and he says: "I am Besso!" "I went to Gold Coast, I came back"." "Illo the fisherman, has not forgotten;" "he gets into the canoe with all he brought back he even catches the Hippos and eats the Hippos in his hut with all his family" "Is Illo brave?" "Yes, a very brave fisherman" "I am very happy to find my herd" "I have the umbrella and a lance" "I am Ibrahim Dia" "Is that all you have left?" "From the Gold Coast I need nothing more a lance, an umbrella" "One goes back to one's job" "and now, I go back to the bush." "I am Damouré Zika" "Walay!" "The Niger, I love it because of the girls there are non better." "They smile... beautifully" "Oh, they are sweet and lovely!" "Ah!" "look at the teeth, all white she's cute that girl!" "She laughs very well!" "I'm going to marry her!" "Yes, that's what I'm going to do." "Long live Niger!" "Subtitles by Peter Frederick and "LES GRANDS FILMS CLASSIQUES SITAC"." "timings by diallelus"