Between Us, a Secret
(Entre nós, um segredo)
Beatriz Seigner, Toumani Kouyaté | Documentary
2020 | 80 minutes | Brazil, Mexico, United States, Burkina Faso
A djeli—a master of words, storyteller, and conflict mediator—is summoned from Brazil back to Mali to hear his grandfather’s final stories.
Synopsis
In 2014, Toumani Kouyaté, a djeli (griot)—a master of words, storyteller, and conflict mediator—was living in Brazil when he received an urgent call. His grandfather, sensing his final days approaching, summoned him and over 40 Malian expatriates to return to their homeland. In Mali, the aging patriarch sought to pass down the nation’s secrets to the younger generation of djelis, ensuring the continuity of their ancestral knowledge and cultural heritage.
This documentary follows Toumani’s journey as he returns to his family's village to witness to partake in the sacred rites of passage of the djelis. Through storytelling and the spoken word, the film explores the vital role of oral culture as both a repository of historical memory and a tool for social and political resilience. Amidst the challenges of war, displacement, and modernity, The Last Story presents a compelling reflection on the power of oral traditions in safeguarding identity, fostering unity, and navigating crisis.
Citation
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Pragda subjects
Afro-Latin Studies
Anthropology
Culture + Identity
Family
Health + Aging
Migration Studies
Sociology
South America
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
CineBH – International Film Festival; Festival do Filme Documentário e Etnográfico de Belo Horizonte; Mostra Internacional de Cinema de São Paulo; Festival Internacional de Cinema da Praia; African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival; Semana de Cinema Negro de Belo Horizonte; Festival Mulheres do Audiovisual (Inffinito)
DIRECTOR: Beatriz Seigner, Toumani Kouyaté
NATIONALITY: Brazil, Mexico, United States, Burkina Faso
YEAR: 2020
GENRE: Documentary
LANGUAGE: French; Other languages; Portuguese
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adult
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
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