The Maasai leader of a Tanzanian village battles many lions that threaten his community-'bush' lawyers, land grabbers, migration and lack of education. Chairman Frank Ikoyo provides a glimpse into the current world of Maasai-burdened with problems that the community is ill equipped to overcome.
Please join us for a very special presentation of the DAAS Africa Workshop on Thursday, December 6 at 7 p.m. in the Michigan Theater(603 E. Liberty).
"The Chairman and the Lions"
Directed by Peter Biella, Produced by Kelly Askew, Frank Ikoyo, Juma Muriga and Howard Stein
The Maasai leader of a Tanzanian village battles many lions that threaten his community-'bush' lawyers, land grabbers, migration and lack of education. Chairman Frank Ikoyo provides a glimpse into the current world of Maasai-burdened with problems that the community is ill equipped to overcome. He advocates education as a key to village self- determination, despite the fact that it can produce "educated criminals." The film depicts Ikoyo's duties as Chairman-persuading women to send daughters to school, interrogating spies in a lawsuit, and eliciting help of a renowned elder to train young warriors in the art of lion hunting. The film was one of only 24 films from 520 entries to be selected for
the prestigious Jean Rouch International Film Festival in Paris in November, 2012. It has also been accepted to a number of other film festivals in places like Poland and Croatia.Panel Discussion to follow with Producer Kelly Askew (DAAS and Anthro, U of M.), Director Peter Biella, (Chair, Dept. of Anthropology, San Francisco State University), the village chairman, Frank Ikoyo and Juma Muriga, the associate chairman. Co-sponsored by the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, the African Studies Center, and the Department of Anthropology.
