Sankofa Film Review

In the film Sankofa, we see the main character Mona endure what we might call a “spiritual journey” or transformation as the film progresses. The transformation is indeed a spiritual one as she is enlightened of her African roots by being transported to the past as a house servant name Shola. In dawning this new identity, she experiences first hand the life of an African slave in the southern United States way back in the time of the Atlantic slave trade. There are several characters and events that deeply impact her enlightenment and they bring her back to the present, now wiser with the newfound knowledge of her ancestral roots.

This film, and Mona’s transformation, both deal immensely with the idea of “identity”. This can be put into context by discussing identity both socially and individually. Mona’s character is first seen doing a photo shoot on historic ground where slaves were once uprooted. This could seen as a metaphor for the “forgetful remembrance” of the African heritage. Sometimes people can forget where they come from, and in Mona’s case, this is especially true. It is even taken to an offensive level as a man named Sankofa tells her that she doesn’t belong there. He sees her negligence as an insult to her own heritage. In connection to Africana Studies, this all revolves around a discussion of perspective. Mona has her own perspective on the world. In her perspective, the world essentially revolves around her. She gives no mind to what makes her the person she is. As she learns of her true identity as an African American woman, she gains a new perspective on the world. This also comments on how history plays a role in a person’s identity. Especially in the Africana perspective, the history of the African people is an essential piece to their identity. It may even be fair to call it the most defining piece of their identity as the story of the African people has been immortalized as one of the darkest stories in, not only American history, but global history.

In Mona’s journey, her enlightenment is assisted by the characters she encounters in the rice fields. This starts with her love interest, Shango. While Mona herself tries to keep to herself, Shango goes out of his way to help others on the plantation, often times leading to him getting into trouble. Mona does not understand why Shango meddles in the business of the others, all the while Shango does not understand why Mona does not act like them and want to pursue rebellion. Mona also views the system that is in place on the plantation as well. There is a very spiritual woman named Nunu and her son, Joe. Nunu seems to be the beacon of hope for the slaves on the plantation. Her son, Joe, is the head slave who takes orders directly from the white landowners. Mona views firsthand the clash between Nunu and her son, as they have opposing spiritual beliefs. There is a scene where Nunu is taken away to be sold and Joe does absolutely nothing. Mona even calls him out, calling him a coward.

There is an interesting progression in Mona’s character as she sees all that is happening around her and with these three other characters. This is used to show an interesting relationship between the two identities, known as Mona and Shola. Both of these women want to keep to themselves and are only worried with what directly affects them. As their journey’s progress, they both reach a state of enlightenment. Shola joins the others in rebellion and Mona realizes the truth behind her identity. The truth that she had been blind to earlier on. The actions of Shango, Nunu, and Joe all serve as a catalyst for Shola, and thusly, for Mona to realize what they had been blind to.

Now to speak on the film’s title, Sankofa. This introduces an interesting dynamic to the story, as the word “Sankofa” in this case has several different placements. Early on in the movie, Sankofa is shown in its spiritual, African form as a bird. This is represented by the staff of a drummer. Sankofa is also the name of the spiritual man that tells Mona, as well as the tourists, that they are all basically trespassing on sacred ground. Ground where Africans were taken from

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