Directed by Ousmane Samassékou
“The Forgotten Ones” follows Sory Kondo, a young Malian journalist working for the news website Sahelien.com. Told he cannot to reach his village in the Mopti region of Mali because it is currently occupied by jihadists, he sets out to get as close to home as possible.
Along the way, Sory speaks to villagers stigmatized by jihadist attacks, a Tuareg soldier in the Malian army, the grandson of El Hadj Umar Tall, a former hostage, and others, all of whom inform his hopes for peace while helping him understand the complexity of Mali’s security crisis.
Despite the intervention of foreign militaries and the United Nations, Mali’s conflict has spread south: Mopti region in the center of the country accounts for 60 percent of terrorist attacks in the country, and insecurity has spread into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
This film, made between December 2018 and February 2019, is told with personal stories from a Malian perspective, allowing for more intimate storytelling.
Credits:
Director/DOP: Ousmane Samassékou
Executive Producer: Abdoul Salam Hama and Joe Penney
Sound: Jean de Dieu Lebrou and Sory Kondo
Editing: Ousmane Samassékou and Salimata Tapily
Executive Producer : Abdoul Salam Hama
Music: Zak Prod Color : Ousmane Ag and Khadiatou Doumbia
Translation: Augustin Fodou, Bilal Achérif and Kadja Espérance Nabia
Supported by: Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA)
The film is accompanied by an “Mali: The State Must Respond to Legitimate Concerns,” in-depth report by researcher Baba Dakono analyzing the crisis in Mali from 2012 to the present day, with recommendations for peace. Download the full report here: