Archival stills and film clips attempt to reveal the genius
of Cheikah Anita Diop. This brilliant Senrgalese man went to Paris’s Sorbonne
to study philosophy as a young man, and also chemistry. He became an advocate for
proving Egypt was not European , but a nation of blacks. In fact, it is
African. He wrote volumes on African history, and upon returning to Senegal,
opened up a carbon 14 laboratory. This wonderful man was arrested for his
beliefs on Egypt, and only got his due after his death, when the University in
Dakar’s name changed to take on his name.
He died in 1986 at the age of 63. What a loss! The film was far too
long, and the assortment of people who were interviewed were so many that the
film in trying to distil his life turned into a talking heads historical narration
that did not truly capture this great man’s passion. (Screened at Vues d”Afrique)
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