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Moussa Sene Absa does a nice job portraying the American and French influence in Popenguine from multiple perspectives with many different attitudes in his 1994 film Ça Twiste à Poponguine. The manner in which colonization is depicted in Senegal around the mid 1960s was very light and peaceful.The cultural differences and how others reacted to one another I thought was done very nicely. We are first introduced to these two group of teenagers known as the "Kings" and the "Inseparables". Both of these groups are very into French, American music, clothing, culture and even take on corresponding nicknames. On the other side we are shown a majority of the male elders who are more traditional in style and in general.The male elders were regarded as a father to all and seemed to dislike the younger generations obsession with the western culture from their academics to their clothing. The elder women seem to be a mix of both, although culturally they were more traditional it was as if they had accepted the French influence in academics with some importance and validity as we saw them quizzing the children in the film. Most interesting to me was Mr. Benoits struggle with the cultural differences.Throughout the film we are shown how the people of Popenguine encounters with each other and their multiple cultural points of view. However Mr. Benoit a teacher from France who was highly regarded by the towns people as a good guy seems to be in turmoil. Mr Benoit preaches about how the cultures needed to give and take from one another to make things work. Sadly Mr. Benoits drunken rant in the bar began to say things to the opposite effect however it later turned out that he himself did not who he was or where he belonged and his drunken statements did not represent his true feelings because he actually felt more at home in Popenguine than France. Overall I found this amazing it was as if the colonizer was turning into the victim compared to those who had been colonized. Yet it was the colonized people who helped the colonizer feel at home.

In the film Popenguine, the character Monsieur Benoit is being colonized. His character is very insightful and full of reality. He doesn't know whether he belongs in France or Africa. He feels as if he has no identity but he is accepted by the African village. In this film one can say, he is perceived as a hero to the African villagers. Monsieur's plot focuses on what it is like for someone to battle with where they fit in and how colonization can cause someone to reach their breaking point. The viewers get a good idea of how colonization affects Monsieur Benoit's life and how it affects those around him. His character deals with the dark side of colonization but later on finds the light with the help of the villagers or neighbors. Popenguine was directed and written by Moussa Sene Absa. It was filmed in the country of Senegal and the language spoken is French. It is important because it is one of the few African films that used the French language. Monsieur Benoit teaches his students the language of France. It is important because the African people are learning a different language, and when they speak a different language it changes their identities. If the student doesn't know or speak French they end up being punished. In one specific scene the African woman is showing love to Monsieur Benoit. That is important because it shows the love the African villagers have for Monsieur Benoit. He has a special friendship with the African people. Monsieur Benoit is a single man who is impotent, and one scene that shows this is when he is dunk. He is talking to the pastor about Africa being colonized by France. This is an important scene because it shows that Monsieur Benoit does not know where he belongs whether France or Africa. He feels like an Alien. He also starts to spill out racist remarks and, because of this colonization causes his misery to boil to the top. He is being colonized by France because he was being racist against Africa. A place he is living in at the moment. The African people didn't even try to hurt him but instead they wanted to help him because they didn't see him as racism. They were concerned for him. To them he was family and a good friend. They saw him as one of them. They also felt Monsieur Benoit was just lost and didn't really mean what he said. They understood him. Which is a good example; of the love the African people have for Monsieur Benoit. The actor Jean Francois Balmer played Monsieur Benoit so well. His emotions and delivery really makes the viewer feel sympathy for Monsieur Benoit. In one scene where his emotions come out, and the delivery is amazingly good is when Monsieur Benoit is speaking to Jabeel. They have an argument about children. He mentions, "Children are the future. It must be give and take." The actor's delivery and facial expressions really shows that the character Monsieur Benoit really cares about the children, and they mean a lot to him. One thing that I felt was negative about Monsieur Benoit's character was in the scene I mentioned before when he was drunk and slurred out racist words. They say when someone is drunk the truth comes out. I don't think his character was really racist but why is it when he's drunk he speaks so bad about Africa? When he was sober he seems to love it. He also gets along with the villagers and that is just one thing I got confused about with his character. This film is very inspirational and helps the viewer learn a lot about colonization with African and France. The fact that the director Moussa Sene Absa points out many different issues when it comes to the relationship between France and Africa is very intriguing. I love the fact that he had different views on both of the countries. I would recommend this film to African and French people because I think it would be interesting to see what their reaction to the

In the film Ca Twiste a Popenguine a young boy, Bacc, tells his life story in Senegal. The dream for all the students in his school is to get lost in the city, possibly Paris, just as his mother had. Everyone is his village speaks French. The language is portrayed positively throughout the film because it is spoken by everyone even though there is the fear they are losing site of their own culture with the adoption of the French language. French education is also portrayed positively because it allows the students to prepare to go to Paris and get lost in the city to get a job and become rich.Concepts are quite different in Senegal than we are used to here in America. All of the children have two names, one being the pop music name they picked out themselves based on their social class and the other being their given name. Their given name is either French or Arabic and is used when they are in school. Music plays a very important role in this film, not just a way children can classify themselves by name. Each type of music is listened to by a different social class: Senegalese, French, and American. Children who listen to American music have American pop names and French music listeners have French pop names.Their teacher, Monsieur Benoit, is the European that supplies these children with their French education. Monsieur Benoit, however, has a problem. He doesn't know where he feels more alien: Senegal or France. He is a man stuck between two cultures. It's ironic he feels this way because France is colonizing Senegal and the European feels the outsider of his culture instead of the Africans. The village lets him know they love and honor him as a part of their culture. They sing to him to assure him of their affection. This shows belonging isn't about where you are, but the people you are with. The village stands together and protects everyone in it, especially the children. The Africans don't look at the colonization as a bad thing. They are still able to keep their culture and build off of the French culture. This film is not sad in the slightest. The ending is happy because everyone ends up where they want to be. Monsieur Benoit gains his sense of belonging in Senegal and Bacc as well as many of the other children move to the city. The two cultures are mashed together. Modernization is introduced to the Senegal culture without destroying it. There wasn't a huge crisis due to modernization as there is in other cultures.This film felt real, there wasn't really a huge problem that everyone had to overcome that gave an all or nothing result. It was more of a change is in our midst scenario and instead of choosing one culture over the other everything just meshed together and happened. It does not follow the typical linear story we are used to.

Ca Twiste Poponguine as it is translated into English rocking Poponguine reflects how Senegal deals with the influence from French and American cultures. Colonialism is presented as being a good thing for the future children of Poponguine because it prepares the children how to deal with the city and prepares them for their journey of possibly going to Paris one day. The children learning the French language is a positive factor because it means that the children are becoming educated for future endeavors. The characters in the movie, mainly the children, have three names. Three names are giving because each name is used in a different setting. The children give themselves American names after the celebrities that they adore, which is used outside for social events, a traditional Wolofe name that was given to them at birth and is used by immediate family and friends and a French name that is used for them when they attend school.Bacc, the main character is an orphan. He is taken care of by his grandmother and others in the community. His mother is said to have been lost in the city. Bacc gets into many accounts of trouble by hustling between the In's and the Kings. The In's group represents the French influence with music and poetry, while the Kings love to listen to James Brown and Jimmy Hendrix. Bacc puts his personal interest above the both groups. His needs come before any of the two groups.M. Benoit is sent from the French government to teach the children about France and the French language. Many in the city love M. Benoit because he has accustomed himself to be like the local by learning to speak their language. He faces the problem of being colonized by the Africans which in turn he should be colonizing them. He reaches a point in the movie to state that he is not sure if he belongs in France or in Poponguine. The people of Poponguine are sure that he belongs there and in turn treat him as if he is a member of the village.At points the movie comes into conflict of language. Some of the Islam's think that the children are losing their African identity because they are speaking the French language instead of their own local tongue. Yet, M. Benoit reminds them that there is a reason for them learning French and that they will not lose their native but only enhance their knowledge of the world and what is taking place in their country. When everything is together the cultures must give and take from each other. Religion comes into play throughout the movie because Islam's believe that their way is the best way.The movie demonstrates how much music can influence an entire culture from clothes, to dance and even the way children write and speak. Regardless of what culture the music comes from a country one must give and take to make the music their own.This movie shows that greatness can be achieved even when colonization has taken place in the country. Each country is benefiting and learning from each other therefore improving the countries on both ends of the colonization.