Educational Media Reviews Online

This film is difficult to categorize: It is a fictional story, but lacks a discernable plot and is shot in a somewhat documentary style. The relationships between its various characters are often times difficult to understand, as is the community in which they live. Regardless of these difficulties however, it is a visually and spiritually compelling film, that exposes the viewer to a society that most in the western world have never seen or even heard of .

The story revolves around a young man named Draaman, in the remote village of Sokolo, located in the West African country of Mali. He spends a good deal of time observing and contemplating life in the village. He sees people sitting in the shade, riding bicycles, or transacting business. Also, the local radio station is making its daily broadcast, and a steady stream of people are going to the local post office, the location of what is apparently the village's only phone. All want to call friends or relatives somewhere in the outside world. Telephone service there is very poor however, and most calls can't be completed for one reason or another. This serves to demonstrate the village's isolation from the outside world, not only physically and technologically, but psychologically. Life in Sokolo is much slower, and requires more patience, than that in the cities of the western world. Life is approached in a more relaxed way. The village is also distinguished from the developed world by its economic problems. Sokolo's economy is agricultural, and farming there is becoming expensive and difficult. It's generally hard to make a living. Families are finding it difficult to feed themselves, and are sending some of their members to Europe and elsewhere to find work, and make money to send home.

The film is laced throughout with voiceovers of the poetry of noted author Aimé Césaire. He writes of the crimes committed by Europe against Africa, and the longing of Africans living in the West to come home again. He also writes of spiritual fulfillment, improvement of one's self and one's community, and hope for the future. These words help to put the struggles of the villagers in a new light. When they are combined with the many beautiful scenes of the village and its surrounding countryside, they allow the viewer to believe that better things may be on the horizon for the people of Sokolo, if the right kind of efforts are made.

Life on Earth is a captivating, if occasionally confusing, film. Many scenes are abstract, and open to multiple interpretations. It serves to stimulate thought and offer hope, but not necessarily to deliver information. As a consequence it is not meant to be an introduction to the people of Sokolo, or a thorough examination of their culture, it is more of an experimental documentary. Its audio and video qualities are good. All voiceovers and conversations are in either French or Bambara, and are subtitled in English. Voiceovers are either poetry readings or excerpts from personal letters, and there is no actual narration in the film. It is best suited for undergraduate or graduate students of African studies, African history, Sociology, Post-Colonial Studies, or for those studying the problems of developing countries.

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