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Ouaga Saga, Magical Realism, and Postcolonial Politics
- Research in African Literatures
- Indiana University Press
- Volume 39, Number 4, Winter 2008
- pp. 40-57
- 10.2979/ral.2008.39.4.40
- Article
- Additional Information
Ouaga Saga (2004), a popular rags-to-riches comedy, uses representations of the city, youth culture, and cinema to set the stage for a modern magical saga by Burkinabè director Dani Kouyaté. This article examines how magical realism can be harnessed as a tool for postcolonial cinema. It argues more specifically how magical realism assuages violence in the urban center Kouyaté depicts and renders visible the postcolonial politics in the everyday lives of a group of resourceful boys, their family, and neighborhood.