Guinea-Bissau, Cradle of the Empire

Directed by António Lopes Ribeiro

This documentary, produced in 1946 on the occasion of the half-century of Portuguese presence in Guinea-Bissau, reveals interesting contradictions. The activities and customs of the Guineans are filmed with a lot of attention and sometimes of proximity. Their resistance to colonization is even evoked, cleverly recovered by the comment which claims that they are all Portuguese. But the colonists are very few present: some dressed in a sparkling white costume and two very poor. The Africans, proud, talented, imposing, occupy the whole film.