Les habits neufs du gouverneur

Tonight Congolese filmmaker Mweze Ngangura presented at Duke University his 2004 film, "The Governor's New Clothes" ("Les Habits Neufs du Gouverneur"). His film spoofs the corruption of petty dictators and is based on Hans Christian Andersen's famous 1835 story "The Emperor's New Clothes" about a king who thinks he is wearing a glorious outfit, while it is only an imaginary one; do any of his subjects dare reveal the truth of his lack of clothes?

The director chose a musical style, which, in the discussion, he revealed was from the influence of Indian "Bollywood" films. A man is chosen by chance to be the new leader of his African country, causing him embarrassment because he is married to a woman and has a son with her - but they are of rival ethnic background. How does he reconcile his thirst for power with his duty to his family?

I didn't appreciate the film as much as I had expected, and found the music repetitive, simplistic, and even contrived and corny, featuring an ancestor who appears time-to-time singing from within a moon. The story was relatively predictable and didn't keep my interest. But I wouldn't discourage others from seeing it; I may have had cultural blinders on that kept me from seeing more merit in the film.