a film by Alpha Sibbie

Sierra Leone, 2016, Fiction,

starring Sheku Ngaojia, Margaret Smith, Abdul Karim Turay

The action is set in pre-colonial Sierra Leone-before 1787, when the British arrived. The film opens with a land dispute that leads to violence between villagers in Konta and Banta chiefdoms.
Matters take a turn for the worse when the daughter of the Temne chief falls in love with the warrior son of the Mende chief and flees her father's house.
After a brief protest by the Mende chief, he accepts the estranged princess from Konta as his daughter in law to the tune of a beautiful ode to love.
But the course of true love didn't run as smoothly in Konta. Incensed, the Temne chief lashes out at an emissary sent by the Mende chief to intercede on behalf of the new couple.
The killing of the messenger from Banta reignites tensions between Konta and Banta and full-scale war ensues. Later the two chiefs face off in a battle of wills, "employing magic to demonstrate their prowess."
When there seems to be no hope for resolution, an ancestral spirit appears. It tells the two chiefs that the Temne and Mende are descendants of twins who were separated at birth. The movie ends with the chiefs, their families, warriors, and the new couple in a group hug -one big happy family.
A REVIEW by John SOLO

Written and Directed by Alpha Sibbie

Shot and Edited by Augustine Kargobai (A. K. Films)

Produced by Sheku Ngaojia (Empire Movies Production)