Cabascabo is a comedy film written, directed, and interpreted by Oumarou Ganda, who caught a film bug through his role in Jean Rouch's films i.e Zazouman de Treichville (1957), and Moi, un Noir (1958). In Moi, Un noir, he played the main role that depicted his personal experience as a soldier in a foreign Army fighting the first Indochine war. It's a story that he continues to recount in Cabascabo (1969), highlighting the complexities that were involved in his journey back to Niger and how he readjusts himself into his society as a war veteran.

Cabascabo starts with a military parade, all soldiers marching in unison heading to the same direction, but later we get to learn that the uniformity of the soldiers' movements does not always march their war spirit. Through Cabascabo's fragmented memories, we are taken on Indochine battlefield, a combat scene showing African soldiers fighting on behalf of the French Army, a cause Cabascabo deemed unworthy.

Despite that he had shown bravery on the battlefield, his identity crisis got the best of him, and he responded his superior who was commending his courage that he did not consider himself a French soldier and did not even care about French military ranks, that his prayer and hope was to return to his country. He would later get in trouble for this exposé of misplaced sense of patriotism.

Interestingly, back in his village, veteran Cabascado boastfully talks about his involvement in Indochina war, bragging about how French soldiers were better than the English one who did not even have shoes. He accompanies these self-glorification tales with special treatments to women and all his friends in the village, he showers them with gifts, beers, and money until he runs out of all the money he got from his full discharge.

Oumarou Ganda mainly centers the film on Cabascado's personal character that it makes you wonder if he created his own misery, or his failure is a consequence of inequalities and conditions in a post-colonial society. Should we blame Cabascado's patriotism that led to his failure in the French Army or the system back in his country that denied him a job based on his past behavior in a foreign army?

This film questions African political systems that still has colonial ties, it reflects the complexities of colonial states' linkage to Africa. The fact that Oumarou Ganda chose not to tell the story in a colonial language (he did it rather in Zarma language), reflects his intention to appeal to his own people. The film director's choice of content, form and the village scenery will certainly make many African viewers feel connected to Cabascado's life complexities. Re-adjusting in a society in which you have been away from can be complicated. Cabascado's generosity towards his friends and neighbors in the village is something to be appreciated but again his naivety and reckless spending of his fortune is worrying. The film also depicts the life's inequalities, poor exploiting the rich and the rich wanting to hang out with their fellow rich friends. It is sad to see Cabascado being abandoned by both the poor and the rich.

Cabascado's love affair also questions the gender roles in our African society, the woman he was seeing behaved like she was entitled to Cabascado's money, and Cabascado acted like it was his role to take care of all her needs, did the filmmaker intend to interpret the exchange as prostitution or mere traditional gender role that perceives the man as the provider?

Through a mixture of a series of present reflections and past flashbacks, viewers are taken on Cabascabo's life journey. The fact that the main character was played by the film director himself probably explains the end, Cabascabo's dignity as person was reserved even when he was remaining with nothing and deemed useless by his neighbors. The film director beautifully portrayed the freedom that comes with embracing a minimalist lifestyle. The structure of this film demonstrates how good of a storyteller Oumarou Ganda.

Uwera Rutamu Fabiola