Il viaggio di Yao

I caught this gem on Belgian TV. It's a beautiful movie about a famous and wealthy actor of Senegalese descent who gets to meet his father's homeland trough the eye of a local kid who's a fan. As he takes a trip towards the kid's village he gets to meet a diversity of people, with different languages, religions, and cultures. There are a lot of heart-warming moments and I'm glad to say nothing bad happens, which is a nice detour from the "Africa as the land of war and corruption" trope.

The acting is great. Omar Sy has an amazing presence, as always and Lionel Louis Basse holds his own. Fatoumata Diawara is great as the travelling performer who introduces us to the local culture and establishes the "otherness" of the main character.

I loved watching this not only because of the good acting and story but also because it was a way to get to know more about an African country. I also found out about Fatoumata, who is a great singer, and have become a fan.