DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

I was born in Madagascar in the eighties. I know this ingrained sense of powerlessness from within. I worked as a prison social worker for several years – I have witnessed the anger that can arise out of despair. But how can one grasp this feeling of powerlessness, see it for what it is, and build a truly political Malagasy film around it? Therein lies the essence of Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story. I did not seek to represent the world of politics as a major concept, an abstract process complete with glorious uprisings and powerful images. I sought to modestly chronicle the emergence of a political awakening in the heart of an individual. I wanted to tell the story of a young eighteen-year-old miner, Kwame, through the journey that led him, from an initial state of suffering, to hold his head high, to say ‘no’. What I like about Kwame’s character is his very frailty, his flaws, his doubts.

A quest I hope to pursue through this film, since I simply cannot, we simply cannot relinquish our desire for a fairer world. With every passing day, we hear of yet more disasters and inequalities plaguing our planet. Armed with this evidence, we can no longer just stand still and wait. I find that the cinema and storytelling fuel my urge to act and contribute in my own way to the fight against what seems inevitable.

Lastly, through this film, I hope to restore some of my country’s pride by sharing a story that is our own. I believe that African and Malagasy cinema has a part to play in exposing our view of the world, notably to further enrich its diversity.