100 Days and The Connection with World War II

Nick Hughes’ 100 Days, is a yet another example of history repeating itself. The film reveals the horrid truths of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. In a hundred days more than 800,000 thousand Rwandans died. Primarily the film exposes the strong connection between the Rwandan Genocide and the Holocaust.

One of the most powerful scenes in the film was in the very beginning when a white priest is speaking to a family about World War II’s Holocaust and an officer is telling a male Hutus that he must organize to kill all Tutsis. Basically the scene jumps back and forth to the past and present. The scene begins with the male Hutus who is being warned about the ‘enemy’ and how it is important to kill all and persuade everyone to do the same. Next the scene jumps to the white priest who states: “In the last war, the Germans committed terrible crimes. Now the Americans also committed terrible crimes. But we don’t remember them, because the Americans won.” This is the first connection Hughes deliberately makes about World WAR II and how the Hutus killed more Tutsis as the Germans slaughtered millions of Jews. Again history repeats itself and nothing was learned from the Holocaust. History isn’t taught to learn from the past; however it’s just more evidence that power controls and corrupts all. In the long run the Hutus and the Germans lost because morally they were wrong and were defeated by allied forces more powerful than them. Tutsis from neighboring countries allied their people and allies form Russia and the United Stares intervened to help defeat the Germans.

The scene continues with the focus on the male Hutus. He looks deep in thought and he flashes back to the officer who states, “Every Tutsi must be moved in the next two days. We are going to clean the whole country. It is your job to make every single person in this town realize that they are a soldier and they’ve got a job to win this war,” the officer’s eyes are blood shot and he looks crazy. He continues to state, “After we are finished there will be no going back to living together because there’ll be no one for us to go back to live with.” The Hutus officer reminds me of a German soldier or even Hitler who persuaded their people to exterminate the Jews. Great dictators such as those in the Rwandan Genocide and Hitler use their power to control. This scene reminded me of a movie I saw in junior high called The Wave where a teacher uses a mental game to show others how easy Hitler came to dominate. Again Hughes does the same in 100 days and this scene displays how easy it is to manipulate anyone with great dictatorship. It is a very powerful scene because even today there is still tension between the Tutsis and Hutus as well as the Germans and Jews.

The end is another message of brainwashing when the camera goes full circle and reveals two children who are also listening and sitting at the table with their mother and father. The two children symbolize the new generations who are still being taught to kill, hate, and be in control as this scene displays. And no matter how many genocides have taken place in the past there will always be an individual who hates and knows how to persuade. Although one knows it’s wrong to kill it is easier to go along then to rebel against those who seek power. It is an amazing opening to an amazing film.

Take a look at these two You Tube videos and witness how history has a way of repeating itself...

Ousmane Sembène's Technique of Themes in Faat Kine

Ousmane Sembene's Faat Kine is a 2000 film set in the present-day Daka, Senegal. This film offers a critical aspect on contemporary, post-colonial Senegal and the status of woman in that society. The major aim of Sembene’s film is to reveal another side of African woman. The protagonist, Kine is a forty year old woman who refuses to live in Africa’s traditional ways. Against all odds she climbs the ladder of success in a male dominated field. She represents a modern, powerful, and threatening woman, to African men. One of the techniques that Sembene uses in this film is the use of repetitive theme.

While, this film expresses African woman in a positive and unfamiliar truth to the audience, it also has a major theme that represents the transition of old Africa to new Africa. Considering that this film was made in 2000, historically the theme of modernization is inevitable, especially with a country that has and is fighting for equality within African realms. This theme is repeated several times throughout the film. However, there were specific scenes that revealed the truths of the old Africa transitioning into the new.

In the beginning of the film there is a scene between Kine and a handicapped man, Pathe Sarr. He goes to speak to Kine and she notices that he is not in the wheel chair she had bought him. Pathe represents an old Africa and Kine represents the new Africa. With this particular scene Sembene reveals to the audience that men are now the fragile and dependant on woman financially. Whereas the old days, woman weren’t allowed to be successful, single or vulgar; Kine exposes Africa’s transition to modern-day realities. Furthermore, the theme of the disabilities is revealed as well. Pathe also symbolizes the old disabled African while the wheel chair represents modernization. There is another scene with Kine’s caretaker, Adele, where she is sits in front of the television eating ice cream. On the television one can view a robotic arm for an amputee. It is on the screen long enough for the audience to see how it works and how mechanical its appearance is. Again the robotic arm reveals innovation taking place in Africa. It is a very short scene and it makes known how inevitable it is for Africa to update and help build better lifestyles.

In addition to Sembre’s use of theme through items, he also reveals the dashiki versus the suit. Towards the middle of the film there is a scene between Diop aka Ndioye (the man who asks Kine for a loan of 30,000 Francs) and Thiom (the banker). Essentially this is one of the most powerful scenes which express modernization at its best. Diop is the old African wearing the traditional dashiki, whereas Thiom is the newer African, in a suit. Through dialogue the audience is also let into how different these men are. Diop has four children by four different women and is losing his business. His customs remain traditional and he lives the typical old fashion male lifestyle. After being rejected by Kine he looks to a male for sympathy; however gets a rude awakening. The men begin to argue when Thiom also rejects Diop for a loan. Diop states: “You know what it is like to have a big family. It bleeds you dry!"Thiom responds, “No, I don’t know about big families. That was my grandfather’s time." Diop looks him up and down, disgusted at his suit and remarks, “You are the embryo of free market neo-colonialism,” pointing his finger in Thiom’s face. However Thiom shuts Diop up by stating, “you are and African from colonial times!” He opens the door and turns his head away from Diop while he exits the door. Thiom walks away calmly and uncaring while Diop stands outside and expresses a shocked face.

The characters, wheel chair, robotic arm, attire, dialogue, and actions represents the clique stating of out with the old and in with the new. Sembene does an amazing job using the repetitive technique of theme.

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