AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL NEW ZEALAND

Synopsis

Tolerance between the three main religions of Mali, Islam, Christianity and Animism, has always been a proud feature of Malian culture, in a country which focuses on fostering social harmony. Sanko-God’s Dream explores this tolerance in the context of a succession struggle for a new imam of Sanko after the death of its loved and respected old imam. Each contender in the struggle represents a quality that fosters (or not) the sought after harmony. The trouble is, they are mainly either dissolute, greedy or rigid. It is a stylised portrayal of the subject, which also gives us delightful snapshots of Malian humour and life on the journey. The question of who will succeed as the new imam is an easy one to answer: the one who embodies the tolerance and humility that will engender harmony, of course. This is good medicine for the modern world. “God’s dream is for everyone”.