Al Djanat, the Original Paradise

After the death of an uncle, filmmaker Aïcha Chloé Boro travels from France, where she has lived for 12 years, to visit her family in Dédougou, Burkina Faso. “Returning is more difficult than leaving,” she says; despite receiving a warm welcome, her vibrant and intimate film subtly reveals why she feels this way.

Since the funeral of her uncle, who had 22 children, the huge family has been embroiled in a dispute. Some want to sell his property, while others strongly oppose the sale. Which inheritance law should be followed, that of Mandingo Islam or the more recently imported French law?

With her nieces and aunts, Boro sees how her life might have been had she stayed: women have to accept a passive role, even though in song they comment on everything. At the same time, Boro has been deprived of precious traditions. The family courtyard contains the buried umbilical cords of all babies born in the family, except those of her own children. This is one reason why the courtyard is more than just a piece of land.