Issiaka Kane

     Yesterday we got a visit from Issiaka Kane, the star of the 1987 film Yeelen.  It's the story of a young boy who learns the secrets of the Komo, an ancient Bamana practice, and threatens to release its secrets to the world.  His father and people do not want this secret to be told, so he hunts down his son and the movie ends in an epic showdown between father and son, good and evil.  The film is filled w/ magic, precognition, love, and despair.  But also a hope for a new future.

     Yeelen put Malian cinema on the map as the film from the country to go to the international film festivals. The director, Souleymane Cissé, a Malian director who trained in France and thus had the knowhow and the resources to submit the film and attain international acclaim.  Unfortunately, because of the nudity in the film, Issiaka faced very hard times after the film's return to Mali, and although he continues to act, and is well recognized, he has had difficulties confronting his family about it.  Since, Issiaka has starred in roughly 17 films, though Yeelen was his first. Issiaka was discovered while dancing with our host, Sedou Coulibaly, and picked because of his authentic Bamana look.  He had never acted before, and the director had been looking for 2 years for someone to play his lead.  The film took 7 years to make after extensive research and living among authentic Bamana villages. 
     While there are a few acclaimed Malian films, Malian cinema has pretty much seen its peak, and is on the decline (if not extinct), according to Issiaka, since past presidents have feared the power of artists and shut down many of the film houses and made acting a considerably difficult profession.