Destiny (1997)
"Dakan" (original title)

Two young high school boys, Manga and Sory, are gay and in love in Guinea. This is their story.

Director:

Mohamed Camara

Writer:

Mohamed Camara

Stars:

Cécile Bois, Mamady Mory Camara, Koumba Diakite

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Cécile Bois
Mamady Mory Camara
Koumba Diakite
Aboucar Touré

Storyline

Two young high school boys, Manga and Sory, are gay and in love in Guinea. This is their story.

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Plot Keywords:

guinea | topless female nudity | homosexual | 1990s | gay teenager | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Guinea France

Language:

French

Release Date:

7 July 1999 (France)

Also Known As:

Destiny

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Du 20ème Créations Cinématographiques

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

User Reviews

Queer cinema West African style

The two young men in this film experience pressures from their parents, one, his father wants him to follow in the business hes established and is concerned his sons sexuality will affect his reputation. The other lad his mothers issue is he will not marry and thus continue the family. This movie challenges the Northern, I say Northern because we in Europe are North not West of Africa, conceptions of 'gay identities' showing instead ways people in other cultures negotiate shifting sexual orientations, identities and alliances.

It challenges the conservative belief that homosexuality doesn't exist in African culture and is some mental aberration brought over by the white man. The cinematography and composition are used excellently considering the low budget, there's a real beauty to this film and it imparts a great sense of place. Issues affecting African countries, and the big concerns for the Africans, such as the over riding importance of family, how your identity really is determined by your family the conflicts between tradition and modernity, the search for an authentic identity after colonialism, are explored through the two boys. By family I mean there just isn't the concept of the individual, the ego in a lot of African cultures, life is seen from a very different angle which a work like this really shows.

Well worth watching if you re at all interested in these issues and for anyone wanting a new take on boy meets boy films this is a must see.