Press Coverage

The following articles were published following its first showing in Dakar. Original Articles in French

FILM - « SEMMIN NIAARI BOOR » : Big picture on devastated forests

Messager—Daily general information Newspaper
Cinéema thee film « Semmin niaari boor » shown at Douta Seck


With the collaboration of the cultural center Douta Seck and the Zenith Art group of Dakar, the Audio-visual, Communication, and Art agency G'ART-ri, showed the film titled « SEMMIÑ ÑIAARI BOOR » (A Double Tranchant). This documentary fiction co-directed by the Senegalease comedian Pape FAYE and the American Jesse RIBOT, poses in the frontal manner the problem of charcoal production and numerous problems that this activity raises. This first outing was made in the presence of the department of environment authorities, the comeadians, and some other actors evolving in the sector.

The film relates the story of the project named « Manage the Forest ». It is the imaginary name given to the project of forest exploitation of Water and Forest Services of Senegal, because it will allow the populations of the village of Daru Fippu, to participate in the charcoal production of their own forest and that powerful exploitants regularly transport to Dakar.

This precious combustible will be at the origin of a conflict that will oppose outside « professionnal cutters » for the most, in connection with the administration of Water and Forest Services, with engaged villagers to protect their interests and their rights prescribed into the decentralization law.

Weex Dunx, President of the Daru Fippu rural community council and Mbaxan, the chief of the project « Manage the Forest » who will act as « benefactors » of villagers, are afraid of being victims of a powerful network of charcoal makers’ patrons. Aware of the game and the hide-and-seek which they faced, villagers thank to the advices of Weex Dunx and of Mbaxan, decided to organize themselves.

At the end of the film, different talks allowed the audience to understand the complexity of the problem, but above all to see how different persons agressively defended their side. The commander Amadou Fall rose up against the caricatured role assigned to the Forest and Water administration that the film conveys. He made several clarifications by affirming that his administration did a hard job, which profited to the popluations who profit more from this activity. Another position came from the film director, the Amreican Jesse ribot, extensivelly talked about the history of this activity, which never benefited to villagers. He insistited on the recurrent problem of quotas, which damaged peasants.

Coming back to his research during the last 25 years, he suggested a large consultation between all the the actors intervining in the sector. Even exploiters provided some clarifications. Pape Faye informed the press that the film was made during the month of April 2009, between Dakar and Tambacounda.
M F Lo

Monday, January 11, 2010
© lemessagersn. info
(Translation from French by Jesse Ribot from “FILM - « SEMMIN NIAARI BOOR » : Gros plan sur les forêts dévastées; Messager—Quotidienne d’information générales; Cinéma Le film « Semmin niaari boor » projeté à Douta Seck.)



FILM - “SEMMIN NIAARI BOOR”: Big picture on devastated forests
January 2010

An article of the national daily Journal "LE SOLEIL'
FILM - “SEMMIN NIAARI BOOR”: Big picture on devastated forests

Charcoal consumption in urban area has a negative effect on the rural world. According to the film directors «  Semmin niaari boor  », populations are at the merci of exploiters, who in conivance with the forest administration, commercialisze charcoal in the urban centers.

«  Semmin niaari boor  » or «  A double tranchant  », is the title of the film presented to the public, a few days ago, by the Senegalease comedian Pape Faye and the film director Jesse Ribot and which brings up the increased forest exploitation in Senegal. According to them, exlpoitants or «professionnal cutters» are in conivance with the forest administration to exploit and commercialize charcoal in Dakar. All this is based on a system of quota that the administration delivers to exploitants and, so often, to the detrimental of villagers who are outside the system. The scene takes place in Darou Fippou or revolte camp, an imaginary village where this practice is a daily reality.

The population, under the guidance of Saliou and Aïssatou, two villagers aware of the stake of the forest exploitation, want to reverse the tendancy. The help of their president of the rural community council (PRCC) Weekh Dounkh (the comédian Ousseynou Bichichi of Zénith Art) and the director of the project (Pape Faye) will be of a great support. Thank to them, villagers will succeed in integrating the so called project «Manage forest» that the administration put into place in odred to allow them to exploit their forest. A revolution in the sector because, with powerful business men, villagers can from now participate to the exploitation and the commercialization of the forest. However, in place of the quotas that exploitants get, the administration allocate only simple contracts, which limits the number of loads to be transported to Dakar.

This film of more than one hour touches the real problem of forest exploitation. After showing the film, reactions were numerous, specially the one of the Water and forest commander, Mamadou Fall who argues that the documentary is not depicting the reality he lives in as specialist. According to him, the forest administration never gave privileges to exploitants to the detrimental of villagers. He deems that contracts occur in general at the basis, at the populations level. For the forest exploiter Abdoulaye Sow, the image of a corrupt person the film directors wanted to give to his colleagues is not accurate. In his side, the film director, Jesse Ribot Professor at the University of Illinois (USA) and researcher in Geography reacted arguing that he developed his project after thorough research of 25 years in senegal. This film relates simply the consumption of charcoal in urban centers and its social, environmental, and economic effects.

Article By
Maguette NDONG
(Translation from French by Jesse Ribot from UN ARTICLE DU QUOTIDIEN NATIONAL "LE SOLEIL' ; FILM - « SEMMIN NIAARI BOOR » : Gros plan sur les forêts dévastées.)

Back to Semmiñ Ñaari Boor Page