Zan Boko explores the conflict between tradition and modernity, a central theme in many contemporary African films, such as Keïta and Ta Dona. It tells the poignant story of a village family swept up in the current tide of urbanization. In doing so, Zan Boko expertly reveals the transformation of an agrarian, subsistence society into an industrialized commodity economy. Zan Boko is also one of the first African films to explore the impact of the mass media in changing an oral society into one where information is packaged and sold. The film provides viewers with a unique opportunity to see our own televised civilization through the eyes of the traditional societies it is replacing.




Urban Studies (Africa)
Tradition and Modernity
Introduction to Contemporary Africa

"Zan Boko says everything that needs to be said about an endangered way of life."
-- New York Times

"The critical camera becomes an instrument of resistance in the face of the technocrats....Zan Boko tells the story of modern Africa."
-- Cahier du Cinema

Director: Gaston Kaboré
Burkina Faso, 1988
In Mori with English subtitles
94 minutes

Video Purchase: $195
Order any 5 titles and save up to 50%!

Special Price for high schools, public libraries and community groups