The Future
of Mud: A Tale of Houses and Lives in
Djenne
by Susan
Vogel
First Run Icarus Films, Brooklyn, New
York, 2007
DVD, 58 mins, colour
Sale/DVD: $390; rental/DVD: $125
Distributors website: http://www.frif.com.
Reviewed by Rob Harle
Australia
harle@dodo.com.au
I found this film both charming and challenging.
Susan Vogel has created a work that functions
on three levels and does so in a subtle,
non-confrontationalist manner.
The film focuses on the mud buildings
of Djenne a small city in the African
Republic of Mali. The main character Komusa
Tenepo is a master mason and a devoutly
religious man. The predominant religion
of the region is Islamic, and the film
shows how belief in the Koranic teachings,
influence not only everyday life, but
the art and "way" of masonry and building
practice.
The Future Of Mud, which is presented
by Le Museé National du Mali, is
in colour and runs for 58 minutes. The
camerawork is excellent, as is the soundtrack
which features some of the traditional
music of Mali. The narration is in English,
together with clear, easy-to-read subtitles
that are used when the characters are
speaking in a language other than English,
which is mainly French.
As previously mentioned the film functions
on three levels. Firstly, it is simply
a delightful visual documentary showing
the beautiful, extraordinary mud and mud
brick architecture of Djenne, together
with the people who create it. Secondly,
the film highlights the challenges facing
the traditional values of the people of
Djenne. Tenepo wants his son to follow
in his footsteps and become a master mason.
The boy has other ideas, as has Tenepos
sister, who constantly nags him to allow
the boy to leave Djenne and get a serious
education. Tenepos sister lives
away from Djenne and is doing well in
a more Western lifestyle in the capital
Bamako.
The situation is even more complicated
as Tenepos other young helper Amadou,
from a poor family near Timbuktu, is also
being pressured by Tenepo to become his
apprentice. Tenepo would be considered
an obsessive-compulsive workaholic in
Western society 0151 he calls it
a passion for mud. As in all good films
the words not spoken, but shown
in facial expressions, are more important
than the sometimes superficial dialogue.
Im not going to spoil the film by
detailing the conclusions of these tensions
suffice to say the outcomes reflect
a universal dilemma which brings me to
the third layer of the film.
In a subtle, quiet and non-judgemental
way the film highlights a number of poignant
cultural issues: the oppression of many
women in African countries; the challenges
of tourism, which can destroy or preserve
traditional values and crafts; the father-son,
master-apprentice dichotomy; rural versus
city life; and religious versus secular
modes of existence.
Djenne is a UNESCO world heritage city
in Mali. This means the traditional mud
architecture will remain unchanged, particularly
the unique style and exterior. Tourists
seem to want this, so it appears Djenne
will survive economically, whereas many
other traditional rural communities without
this protection are more or less consumed
by the tantalising, often false promises
of a Western gadget filled, technological
future. This listing together with
strong religious beliefs are the only
things keeping the chrome, neon and mostly
soul-less Western architecture from destroying
an important and unique piece of African
cultural history.
Each year the mud mosque gets a replastering,
this building is quite astonishing both
in its scale and beauty. Thousands of
people from the city under the informal
supervision of the master masons, who
are perched precariously on crudely constructed
timber ladders (no Work Place Safety Rules
and Regulations here), plaster the entire
mosque in one day. This is the main traditional
festival of Djenne. It is hoped it will
become an event that tourists will enjoy,
and they will perhaps take away a little
of the beauty and simplicity of a traditional
lifestyle based on Allah and mud.
I highly recommend this film for both
general interest viewing, and specifically
for cultural anthropologists, government
officials who have influence in the changes
effecting traditional villages, and for
tourists who have considerable responsibilities
towards the places and people they visit.