REFLECTING HISTORY

CUBA, THE AFRICAN EPIC

(REQUIEM POUR LA REVOLUTION)

France/Egypt, 2006, 120 min., French, Spanish

Director: Jihan El-Tahir
Producer: Tancrede Ramonet
Script: Jihan El-Tahir
Cinematography: Frank Lehmann
Editing: Gilles Bovon
Music: Guisse Brothers
Sound: James Baker
Production company: Temps Noir/Big Sister
Print Source:
Temps Noir
154 Rue Oberkampf
75011 Paris
France
Tel.: +33 1 55 28 33 87
Fax: +33 1 55 28 33 91
e-mail: tempsnoir@tempsnoir.com
www.tempsnoir.com


Cuba, The African Epic

Why was Fidel Castro the first person Nelson Mandela sought out after his release from prison? What exactly was the Cuban dictator’s relationship to the African freedom fighter? This revealing documentary chronicles the unique relationship between these two historical figures by recounting the story of the Cold War through the prism of its least known arena: Africa. Between 1961 and 1991 the African continent was the battle ground for no less than four adversaries, each with a well defined and conflicting interested in the future of the continent. There was the Soviet Union’s desire to spread their ideology through the third world and the United States’ determination to contain their adversary, not to mention the Colonial Power’s struggled to maintain their control as a new breed of revolutionaries yearning for independence surfaced. Fighting against communism, capitalism and colonialism, underground freedom movements turned to Cuba’s new regime for support. Bonded by a common new ideal: internationalism, an unlikely alliance was forged between Cuba’s government and African freedom fighters. From the tragicomic epic of Che Guevara in Congo to the triumph at the battle of Cuito Cranavale in Angola, this compelling and detailed film shows how Castro’s tiny country emerged as a central player in Africa’s battle against oppression.

Jihan El-Tahir was born in 1963 in Beyrouth. Writer and film director.

Filmography:

The House of Saud (2004);
The Price of Aid (2003);
Regard Croise sur le Sida (2002);
Steps for the Future (2001).

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TUESDAY, APRIL 3 AT 7:00 PM./BEVERLY ARTS CENTER

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