Ceddo

Plot

In Senegal, sometime after the establishment of a European presence in the area but before the imposition of direct French colonial administration, the Ceddo ("commoners") try to preserve their traditional culture against the onslaught of Islam, Christianity, and the slave trade. When local king Demba War sides with the Muslims, the Ceddo abduct his daughter, Dior Yacine, to protest their forced conversion to Islam. After trying to rescue the princess, various heirs to the throne are killed, and Demba War is killed during the night. Eventually the kidnappers are killed and Dior Yacine is brought back to the village to confront the imam, just as all the villagers are being given Muslim names.

Banning

Along with a number of Sembène's other films, Ceddo was banned in Senegal for its presentation of the conflicts between the Islamic and Christian religions and ethnic and traditional beliefs. According to another account reported in The New York Times in 1978, the banning was not "because of any religious sensitivity, but because Mr. Sembene insists on spelling 'ceddo' with two d's while the Senegalese Government insists it be spelled with one."