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Summary and Discussion Guide
Sankofa
Written and directed by Haile Gerima, 1993
Length: 125 minutes; not rated
Occasional subtitles
Available from Mypheduh Films, Inc.
P.O. Box 10035
Washington, DC 20018-0035
800-524-3875 or 202-289-6677
Price $39.00* (as of November 2000) (If purchasing this film poses a problem, please call Emily Mace in the Unitarian Universalist Association's
Department of Religious Education: 617-948-4371.)
"Spirit of the dead: rise up and tell your story."
—voice of a griot in Sankofa
Description:
Sankofa is an Akan (Ghanaian) word meaning "one must return to the past in order to move forward." Written and directed by Ethiopian-born filmmaker and Howard University professor Haile Gerima, Sankofa is the story of the psychospiritual journey of Mona, a self-possessed African American woman who faces an identity crisis. From the African continent through the Middle Passage and the Americas, Mona relives her past and is transformed.
A seductive model in the United States, Mona is posing near a former slaveholding fortress in West Africa for a photo shoot. Far from the exotic setting her photographer hoped for, Mona is possessed by lingering spirits and is transfixed by a self-appointed cultural guardian and griot (storyteller) who won't let her forget her past.
In a flashback, Mona is taken into slavery. She lives out her life as Shola, a house servant on a Southern plantation. There she meets Nunu, an African-born matriarch and field hand, and Shango, a field servant brought from Jamaica who becomes her lover. As witnesses to the brutality of rape, floggings, and lynchings, Nunu and Shango continuously and creatively rebel against the slave system. For Nunu, this act of rebellion means direct confrontation with her flesh-and-blood and classic "tragic mulatto" son born of rape whose identity confusion is reinforced by his dedication to Roman Catholicism. Inspired by Nunu and Shango's determination, Shola ultimately takes her life into her own hands.
This film is about the still present legacy of slavery, told from the perspective of its victims. Filmed in West Africa, Jamaica, and Louisiana, it offers a rich view of the psychospiritual baggage of the slave past. While the story will be an eye-opener for some, it speaks powerfully of the complexities of the slave legacy and invites viewers into the hearts, minds, and souls of a people whose lives were not their own.
To the Facilitator(s):
- Sankofa is an opportunity for cross-cultural learning. It introduces new linguistic patterns and cultural practices that may be unfamiliar to some participants. Facilitators are encouraged to screen the film far enough in advance to reflect on it, and seek clarification and consultation where needed.
- While Sankofa is in English, because one of the characters (Shango) speaks with a fairly strong Jamaican accent, English subtitles are used in parts of the film. You may wish to view these sections thoroughly prior to the event in order to clarify points of ambiguity or misunderstanding.
- Vocabulary:
- Akan: an ethnic group of Ghana in West Africa
- griot: an oral historian or story teller
- Goree Island: a former slaveholding facility in Senegal (now a historic monument)
- House Negro and field Negro: terms commonly used to designate a hierarchical structure of slave plantation life; "house Negroes," (referred to as a "head man" in the film) worked in the master's house as servants, maids, or butlers and were so assigned because they were considered to be conciliatory, if not compliant. Mixed-race children born of slave women raped by their masters often ranked the privileged position of house Negro. By contrast, field Negroes, assigned to work in the field were presumed to be problematic for the master because they often rebelled against the slave system.
- While the Roman Catholic Church comes under heavy criticism through Joe's character, it is important to be respectful of other faith traditions. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that, historically, Christianity supported the Atlantic slave trade and other forms of systemic oppression.
Discussion questions:
- What is the price of freedom? In the context of slavery, is the death of one soul worth freedom for the sake of another?
- Claiming to speak through the spirit of the dead, the unnamed West African cultural guardian/griot continually admonished Mona, "Go back to your past; return to your source," and reminded her that she stood on sacred ground. Thinking about Sankofa, how would you explain sacred ground and the importance of remembering the past to a child?
- The film highlights many contrasting images: Africans and Americans, the house Negro and the field Negro, Roman Catholicism and African traditional religion. Discuss these contrasts and the role of religion in the film.
- How do you understand internalized oppression? Can you think of examples from the film?
- What do you think Shango meant by his oft-repeated maxim: "The snake's g'wan eat what's in the belly of the frog"?
- Thinking about Sankofa, what accounted for a man turning against his mother and his mother turning against her son?
- As she seeks to nurse her son back to health, Nunu asks, "whose child is this?" Whose children are the children lost in the streets of our cities today?
- Considering the system of chattel slavery, where do we draw the line between assimilation (or accommodation) and resistance and rebellion?
- Do you see any value in going back into history in order to move forward in dialogue and understanding of race relations today? If so, how might such a dialogue be structured?
- Can you think of any parallels between slavery (as illustrated in the film) and the socio-economic system in the United States today?
- What might you have done if forced into slavery or another form of physical subjugation?
- What do you think was the director's intent in this film as compared to Amistad?
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