Can a documentary about a currency be riveting? In the hands of Senegalese French filmmaker, Katy Léna N’diaye, it is. Her latest work, Money, Freedom, a Story of CFA Franc, tells the fascinating history behind a colonial-era currency still in use in 14 African countries today. Beyond the machinations that brought it into being, the film provides a cautionary tale and a call-to-action for today’s African youth. N’diaye sits down with key players in regional monetary and fiscal policy who have some connection to the currency and fortifies their submissions with rich archival material consisting of historical events. Rather than operate as a dense journalistic essay, N’diaye’s film floats with a personal cinematic voice, one that wraps up with a charge to young people to find homegrown solutions to Africa’s problems.
Filmmaker Katy Léna N’diaye on the Currency of Heritage
- AFRICA TOP 10
- 1 min read