YEELEN/BRIGHTNESS (Mali, 1987, 105 min.), directed and produced by Souleymane Cissé; screenplay by Souleymane Cissé; cinematography by Jean-Noël Ferragut and Jean-Michel Humeau; music by Salif Keita and Michel Portal; edited by Dounamba Coulibaly; costume and production design by Kossa Mody Keita;with Isiyako Kane (Niankoro), Awa Sangare (Atou, the Peul mother of his son), Nyamanto Sanogo (Soma, his magician father and Djigui his twin brother), Balla Moussa Keita (Rouma Boll, the Peul king), Soumba Traore (Mah, the mother), Ismaila Sarra (Bofing, his other uncle), Youssouf Tenin Cissé (his son), Koke Sangare (the Master of the Komo). In Bambara and Peul with English subtitles.

1. Why the title, Yeelen (Brightness)? What is the title referring to, both literally and figuratively? Why is this concept important enough to be the title of the film?

2. We next hear about the Komo secret society: "The Komo is for the Bambara the incarnation of divine knowledge. Its teaching is based on the knowledge of "signs," of time and of worlds. It embraces all the domains of life and of knowledge. The Kore is the seventh and last initiation society of the Bambara. It has for its symbol the holy vulture, Mawta Dugo, bird of great spaces of the hunt, of war, of knowledge, and of death. Its emblem is a wooden horse, symbol of the diligence of the human spirit, its sceptre a carved board called Kore Kaman or the Wing of the Kore.

"Kolonkalanni, a magic pylon [or pestle], is used to find that which is lost, to discover and punish brigands, thieves, criminals, and perjurers. The Kore wing and the magic stick have been in use in Mali for millenia."

What do you make of this quotes? As you look back at it after seeing the film, how does it prepare you for the film to come? How does it help to explain the film’s symbolism?

3. You’ll find that the film opens with a series of mysterious images that will be echoed later in the film. What is the point of these images? Are you any clearer about them after the film?

4. You’ll notice that the film quickly moves into the form of an oral tale--with elements such as banishment, quest, etc. Discuss the elements that you notice.

6. Why is Niankoro’s father so determined to kill his son? Why are the other members of the Komo society willing to support him?

8. Compare/contrast the father, the two uncles, and the Peul (Fulani) king, all representative of the "authority" generation.

11. In an interview with Manthia Diawara, Cissé has discussed the way that the film operates on at least two different levels with respect to its depiction of magic: "It invites the spectator to go deeper in imagining the significance of the ‘Komo’ beyond the literal meaning of the song, beyond the film. One looks for the codic meaning of the song, which are most important because it contains the secrets of the universe. My film positions the spectator in the midst of these secrets and keeps him/her busy looking, interpreting, exploring. It is this level of the film that is incredibly exciting for the Malian spectator. For the spectator who is not initiated, I mean the American, French or British, I am sure that the film is perceived literally. I mean that this spectator hears the ritualistic song, reads its translation; but, this direct translation is not what is expressed in the film. The sentences are codified and refer to other objects which obey the rules of a specific knowledge. The rules of this knowledge can only be decoded by initiates of the ‘Komo.’" So, given the fact that you are probably only penetrating a very little of the symbology of these rituals, what can you say about these rituals and the role of magic for the traditional Bambara?

13. We basically are given three settings in this film--the land of the Bambara (Niankoro’s home and the home of the Komo society; the land of the Peul or Fulani, where Niankoro will find his wife; and the land of the Dogon, with whom his blind uncle is living. How are these settings similar and different?