Africa: The Beat

Africa: The Beat was filmed in Nzali, an enclave situated in the heart of Tanzania where the Wagogo live. Theirs is a unique musical universe. From the film's first frame to the last sound heard, each image takes us further into their daily reality while their music gradually engulfs us in a world of surprising sensations. Day and night, the passage of time and the seasons, nature and the elements, water, the importance of the word and the stories, the stages of life...all of this emerges from a pulsation around which every instant of existence is articulated. Filmed with rudimentary technical means, Africa: The Beat conjoins the perspective of a painter, the vision of a filmmaker and the sensibilities of two musicians. It does away with the concept of the voice-over, which conditions and invades the spectator's senses. Instead, the film permits the spectator to experience his or her own emotions, and bear witness to the essential place music occupies in life.