'le ballon d'or'

The most recent film I saw at the Goethe-Institut Toronto's Monday night tributes to soccer and film, was Le Ballon d'Or, or The Golden Ball.

The 1993 Guinean film, directed by Cheik Doukoure, tells the story of a young 12-year-old boy, dirt-poor like the majority of his compatriots, who believes he is destined to become a world-class soccer player.

In his thatched village, Bandian and the other children play soccer in the red dirt in their bare feet, with a ball that they have created out of sewn-together rags. Over a transistor radio they hear and exult about the Cameroon team's exploits in the World Cup. They steal chickens to hear the local shaman's predictions that indeed, young Bandian will receive the Golden Ball. In Europe the Golden Ball is given to the European soccer player of the year.

Bandian and his brother sell wood in the town, trying to raise money for a real soccer ball. They go to leathersmiths and other craftsmen, and after getting prices realize they would have to work three years before they could afford a ball not made of rags.

Bandian keeps his money with a sympathetic European doctor from Medecins Sans Frontieres, who one day presents him with an old soccer ball that she has been able to find. He paints it gold, and when he holds the ball to his chest, the gold paint sticks to his shirt. He wears it proudly.

Soon, due to a misunderstanding with his father, Bandian heads for the big city to stay temporarily with his sister. On this adventure he encounters real danger and real friends, and his prowess with the golden ball becomes noticed. Eventually, the shaman's prophecy unfolds to become young Bandian's destiny.

I believe this is the first African film I have seen created by an African. I believe this is the first time I have ever had a sense of seeing a real Africa, or at least a real Guinea, even though French colonialism has left its language with the land. The culture though, of the people, still thrives, evolving, caught between tribalism and modernity.

Doukoure examines this dichotomy and pull between the old and the new throughout his film. Everything has two sides, and life is a journey between the past and the future. Doukoure, with throwaway detail, reveals the spirit and ingenuity of people who live on their wits and humour, often in desperately poor conditions. He presents the remnants of colonialism as not necessarily bad remnants, while also presenting the case for an Africa strong for itself.

The young Bandian hones his skills under the creative coaching of a great African soccer player, played by real-life soccer hero, Salif Keita. Keita's character, though, wants to forge an African team. A local businessman, acting as Bandian's agent, signs the boy to a multi-year training contract in France. Keita's character denounces it and refuses to be a 'slave-trader'.

Yet, even though Keita's character works hard and trains superlative soccer players, there is still the sense that Africa's time is in the future. For now, for youngsters like Bandian, their best hope is to leave their homeland. Even, or especially, the shaman understood that the 'golden ball' was a monetary gold mine for Bandian's community and not just a child's dream of soccer.

But Bandian is still a child, and for him, it is all about the dream. The film has great humour and a belief in making the best of one's chances. Bandian's 'agent' has told the French team that their new talented prodigy is 16 years old. The film ends with a definitely 12-year-old Bandian embarking on another adventure as he lands in France, ready to fulfill the shaman's predictions.

This film will make you more than a little in awe of African soccer players, and give never-before-seen glimpses of the rich, cultural complexities and ingenuity of Guineans.