CABASCABO

Cabascabo, a veteran of the French colonial army in Indochina, returns to his home town in Niger, acclaimed by friends and relatives. In fragmented flash-backs, he tells the story of his adventure and the battles in that distant land, "way beyond Mecca"... With his friends at the bar and the prostitutes in the night-clubs, any opportunity is good to boast about his adventures. For some time he basks in his glory as a veteran but, after squandering all he has, he cannot find work. Nobody respects his rank, not even at the building site where he is treated as a slave by his fellow workers. To survive with dignity, he can only go back and work the land, returning to his origins in rural society.

"Cabascabo is an autobiographical film, I wanted to relate my experience as a veteran soldier. 'Cabascabo' is a nickname that we used in the army and it means 'ringleader'" (O. Ganda).

Director and screenplay: Oumarou Ganda.
Director of photography: Gérard De Battista, Toussaint Bruschini.
Sound: Moussa Hamidou.
Music: Kaka e Dan Baba Ali.
Editor: Danièle Tessier.
Cast: Oumarou Ganda, Zalika Souley, Issa Gombokoye, Balarabi, Kaka, Dan Baba Ali, Gerard Delassus, Djingarey Maiga.
Production company: Argos Film (Paris) e Consortium Audiovisuel International.