Still from Yam daabo — Yam daabo (1987) — Idrissa Ouedraogo, Idrissa OuédraogoPhotographed by Jean Monsigny

Idrissa Ouedraogo, Idrissa Ouédraogo

Yam daabo

Name: Yam daabo
Genre: Drama, World Cinema Project
Released: 1987
Duration: 80 min

Yam Daabo

Burkina Faso / No Dialogue / 1987 / 1h 20m

Not streamingNot currently on the Criterion Channel.

Drama World Cinema Project

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Synopsis

A family’s quest for self-determination mirrors a nation’s struggle in the sensitively observed feature debut by titan of Burkinabe cinema Idrissa Ouédraogo, who cast an ennobling gaze on ordinary Africans navigating the upheavals of the postcolonial era. Made amid revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara’s push to create a self-reliant Burkina Faso, YAM DAABO follows an impoverished family as they leave behind a life in the city reliant on Western aid to start anew in the more verdant countryside, quietly capturing the rhythms of everyday life as well as its devastating tragedies and intimate joys. Featuring music by the legendary Francis Bebey, YAM DAABO imbues an elemental human story with profound political weight.