Daresalam (English: "Let There Be Peace"^[1]) is a 2000 dramatic film by Chadian director Issa Serge Coelo. It has been considered one of the very few recent African films that has treated the theme of the internecine conflicts that have ravaged the African continent since independence.^[2] While set in a fictional African country called Daresalam, it reflects the civil war that ravaged Chad during the 1960s and 1970s.^[3]

Synopsis[link]

The film takes place in a fictional central African country (called Daresalam, "the Land of Peace" in Arabic) amidst a civil war. It features as main characters two young friends, Koni (Haikal Zakaria) and Djimi (Abdoulaye Ahmat), whose peaceful existence is interrupted when the central government irrupts in their village harassing them and browbeating the villagers into paying new taxes to help fight the civil war.

A heated discussion ensues, which degenerates, causing the death of a government official, which causes in retaliation the burning of the village and the massacre of its inhabitants. Koni and Djimi now pass with others to the rebellion, but the rebels eventually split, with Djimi remaining with the hardliners and Koni going instead with a faction which supports compromise with the government, thus estranging the two friends. Koni will later be executed in a coup, while Djimi will leave the rebels and return to his home village with a war widow and a sewing machine left to him by a fallen combatant, with which he can attempt to start a new life for himself and his family.^[4]

Director Issa Coelo, in speaking of his film, explains he wanted to expose the vicious circle that originates when a despotic government causes the outbreak of a civil war, which ends to feed itself endlessly, as each power maintains itself through despotism, thus generating its own armed opposition. In Coelo's words, "war becomes the only economy of the country. Violence, the only way of speech and communication possible. ... With in mind the myth of Cain and Abel, Daresalam narrates how this war machine finishes to put one against the other two friends, at the beginning moved by the same ideals. This story is meant to be a speech against war and for humanity's survival."^[5]

Reception & Evaluation[link]

The LA Weekly judged the film positively, calling the it "achingly beautiful and sad", and appreciates the final, which "ends on a note of un-ironic optimism that is more radical than all the calculated nihilism currently being served up on Western movie screens", and compared the film to Barbet Schroeder's Our Lady of the Assassins in their common ambition "to shed light on shadowy existences".^[6]

The fim is analyzed by Roy Armes, that observes how Coelo avoids any heroics, showing the rebels' limitations and the confusion of the conflict. While judging the work "a sincere and serious study of a key aspect of contemporary Africa", he feels that the film lacks the passion of Med Hondo's works on the Polisario rebels, possibly because of Coelo's belief that "cinema should ask questions rather than give answers", which could explain the distance we are maintained from the two main characters.^[2] The film is also mentioned by Françoise Pfaff as an example of a new series of African historical films, which avoid the over-simplification of the past, and in particular Daresalam in its problematic description of post-indepence Africa is seen as close to Flora Gomes' Mortu Nega.^[1]

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

	Chad portal
	Film portal

• (French)Daresalam in Africultures
• Daresalam at the Internet Movie Database

v t e Cinema of Chad Films A-Z • Films by year • Actors • Directors

Ras Nas aka Nasibu Mwanukuzi

Born in Morogoro (Tanzania), Ras Nas aka Nasibu Mwanukuzi, is a musician and poet from Tanzania who blends African music and reggae with a dash of poetry. Ras Nas' latest album, Dar-es-Salaam, contains roots reggae, soukous and dub poetry. It is released by Kongoi Productions, KonPro. Dar-es-Salaam has received a five star review in one of Norway's biggest dailies, Dagsavisen.

Recently, Ras Nas was featured on BBC World Service, The Beat program. The weekly program, reaching millions of listeners world wide, is presented by Mark Coles. Other artists on the program were Wyclef Jean and Zoe Rahman.

Among Ras Nas merits is sharing stage with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Lou Reed at the Norwegian Wood Festival. Ras Nas has also warmed up for a number of reggae heavyweights like Luciano, I Jah Man, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Junior Delgado.

Ras Nas' latest CD Dar-es-Salaam contains a mix of reggae and African music, soukous. In this CD Ras Nas has worked with a number of musicians from nine different countries. These include Norwegian blues guitarist and singer Knut Reiersrud, Rolf Erik Nystrøm, Keppy Kiombile from Kilimanjaro Band, Norman Bikaka from Shada Band and drummer Uriel Seri from Ivory Coast.

Ras Nas aka Nasibu started writing African poetry at the age of 17 and experimented with various forms of African chanting and African drumming. Ran short of paint. Studied Law at the University of Dar es Salaam where he graduated with an LLB degree in 1984. Ras Nas has worked as a journalist for Daily News as well as a correspondent for Africa magazine, covering mainly cultural issues.

During his youth Ras Nas listened to a lot of Tanzanian music by guitarists like Wema Abdallah, Mbaraka Mwinshehe and his Likembe Mahoka style (from Morogoro), Segere Matata (from Tabora) as well as Michael Enok of Dar Jazz, from Dar es Salaam.

Other influences is from the Congolese maestros like Luambo Makiadi and his T.P OK Jazz, Dr. Nico of African Fiesta Sukisa and countless other African musicians who have helped to mold African music and inspired another generation of musicians. More impulses came from Caribbean music of the late 1960s which was popular in East Africa. Also influenced by the early reggae greats, the likes of Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, and Linton Kwesi Johnson, to name but a few. All this has helped to shape Ras Nas' musical style.

In 1982 Nasibu co-founded a powerful poetry and drama group "SAYARI" in Dar-es-salaam. The group combined African music, poetry, miming, dance and drama and toured extensively in Scandinavia. Moved on to Oslo in 1985 to study Mass Communications at the University of Oslo, UIO.

In 1985 he initiated "UMOJA" group in Oslo which blended traditional African music and dance. He also co-founded "ARTISTS FOR LIBERATION", a forerunner to Nordic Black Theater. In 1989 he published his first collection of African poetry, Double Focus, (Kongoi Productions). Together with Reginald T.Oliver (Papa Lion) and James Toney Jr. he formed NASIBU and the DUAL VISION, a trio that performed rhythmic poetry coated with vibral African chanting, harmonies and drumming. The trio changed name to "THE COLD FIRE" bringing in a Zimbabwean bassist, Clive Brown, and produced a music cassette during a tour in Germany.

In 1990 Nasibu went solo and formed his own band under his artist name, RAS NAS. The band had a début concert in July 1991, at a party to mark the 99th anniversary of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I. The party was organized by the Rastafari Cultural Foundation in Oslo. The year after, Ras Nas performed for Nelson Mandela, celebrating his release from Robben Island prison. This happened in Oslo, on Mr. Mandela's first visit to Norway.

In 1997 he produced Ras Nas début CD Cut You Loose, (Kongoi Productions). (RNCD9701), working together with Charles Mena from Nicaragua, Chuck Frazier, a musician from Texas and Ishamel de Leon from Trinidad.

Ras Nas tracks can be also be found in other music compilations, the most notable being AMUN Tropical Acts vol.1, a compilation by African musicians living in Norway and RAW 2000 by Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide.

Some earlier festivals[link]

Spring Festival 2010, Cairo and Beirut - May 2010
Galle Music Festival, Sri Lanka - December 2009
Oslo World Music Festival - 3 November 2007
Oslo Mela - 18 August 2007
World Performing Arts and Music Festival - Lahore (Pakistan). Nov. 2006
Oslo Mela Festival (with Ngoma Rhythms). August 2006
Zanzibar International Film Festival (with Mandingo Trio). July 2006

External links[link]

• Official website
• Ras Nas at Myspace
• Ras Nas at Twitter