SIRA

Fousseyni Maiga, ML, 2022
67 min., OmeU
Sira is a 17-year-old girl who lives in a small landlocked village. Rebellious, independent and very flirtatious, she is the object of many desires. She does not see her life in the village and dreams of returning to the city to afford a better life. While Sira’s father, Zan Coulibaly, has just accepted the marriage proposal of Doukouré, the richest merchant in the village, Namory arrives in the village after several years spent on a gold minning site. Namory, young and attractive, and apparently rich, is the perfect man for Sira. Between the two young people, a love affair develops to the point where Sira decides to defy her father’s will.
To make matters worse, Sira is chosen as the chosen one to sacrifice a ritual that has been held for 200 years in the village. Told by his mother that Sira’s father is the man who murdered his late father, Namory sets out to seek revenge against Sira’s family. He will therefore convince Sira to lose her virginity to cancel her choice for the ritual and force her father to accept their union. Sira’s father takes this act as an attack on the dignity of his daughter and the honor of her family. Sira, after being instrumentalized by Namory, will turn against her father who, in response to her attitude, will try to take her life. Unfortunately, Sira’s mother will pay the price. Sira, disinherited by the Council of Elders, leaves the village. She undertakes the journey to find the man of her life, Namory. The dream life presented by Namory is pure illusion. Sira discovers another dark side of her lover and learns that she has AIDS and is pregnant. She was contaminated by Namory, also contaminated by one of his many girlfriends on a gold minning site. Sira sinks into a depression that will lead her to a suicide attempt. Saved in extremis, she will try to preserve her relationship with Namory by convincing him to agree to be tested and undergo treatment. Namory, in denial, refuses his status and leaves the gold minning site.