Fatou Ndiaye as 'Isatou',

Moustapha Gueye as 'Saloum',

in Semmiñ Ñaari Boor

Semmiñ Ñaari Boor

"Double Bladed Axe"

Wolof and French
English, French, Spanish and Portuguese Subtitles
49 Minutes

Co-directed by Pape Faye and Jesse Ribot
Based on Research and Script by Jesse Ribot

Foresters’ words cut both ways. The villagers of Daru Fippu are empowered to manage their forests by Senegal’s decentralization laws. They want the forests for local use, but the Forest Service’s Mega Bank project convinces the villagers to participate in charcoal production to make money for local development. The forest service says they must cut the forests for charcoal to supply cooking fuel for the city. The foresters speak of management, but insist only on production. They speak of participation, but the villagers participate only as labor. They speak of development, but foresters block them from lucrative forestry markets. Villagers are only allowed to produce at low prices and sell their charcoal to urban merchants at the forest edge. Foresters refuse to give them production quotas and permits to sell for much-higher prices they could get in the city of Dakar. When the sympathetic project director, Mbaxan, tells them they can get ten times the price selling in the city, the villagers are shocked. Mbaxan tries to help the destitute villagers to profit from their rich forests, but is stymied by the Forest Service. They make some headway, but not enough. The villagers of Daru Fippu federate to fight for their rights.

DVD copies of this film with subtitles in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese can be purchased online or by writing to Jesse Ribot at Jesse.Ribot@gmail.com. It is available in NTSC or PAL formats and can be played on most computers.

For further information please contact Jesse Ribot at Jesse.Ribot@gmail.com.