SO LONG A LETTER

Ramatoulaye, headmistress of a primary school in Dakar and the mother of seven children, has been married to Modou for 30 years and is shocked when he decides to take a second wife, 20-year-old Binetou. A merciless battle between tradition and modernity ensues, contrasting very different views of women’s roles in contemporary African society, as Ramatoulaye struggles to maintain her identity and dignity in the face of this betrayal. The debut feature film by Senegalese screenwriter and documentarian Angèle Diabang Brener is drawn from the acclaimed 1979 novel by Senegalese writer Mariama Bâ. “So Long a Letter explores the tensions between Ramatoulaye’s feminist values and her religion, which is often used to justify the mistreatment of women,” director Brener said in an interview. “There is a lot of misinterpretation and misappropriation of Islamic scripture that blinds many to the inherent sexism that justifies polygamy. It’s up to a new generation of women to carry a different message forward.” ~SM