Captain Ekumu has a lot on his mind: his son Ika is dying and he does not have the means to find treatment for him, which is driving his wife Ezéni to despair. A myste-rious radio broadcast interrupts the speech of President Baby Zame. It talks of a golden mango tree, of a day to come, of the freedom of poets. Liberty holds sway on the airways it pirates for fifteen minute periods from its hiding place in a truck. Colonel Paturau is ordered to announce a bounty prize to anyone able to arrest pirate Liberty. But how can you arrest a voice that has no body? A culprit must be found. For Ekumu, this could be the solu-tion to his family tragedy.

Mateup, a former journalist fallen from grace, lives with his sister Atita who keeps him by selling her charms. As a means to get out of this situation of dependence, he takes from Liberty the courage he needs to begin writing again, just like his friend Arouet who is a photographer of life. In the bars of the district, there is rumour of an elusive truck. It is surroun-ded in legend, like the one of a blind person who, dazzled by the headlights of the Liberty truck, suddenly finds he can see again and begins to preach his faith. Liberty announces there will be a "miracle" near the mango tree: Mateup is proclaiming Liberty's prophecy throu-ghout the district. Atita is arrested but escapes by playing up to Paturau's lust. Armed men surround the district. The truck escapes under fire, Atita disap-pears from close by the truck. The inha-bitants of the district rise up against the armed men. Mateup is arrested. At the hospital little Ika dies despite his opera-tion. Ezéni, Ekumu's wife, destroyed, leaves him. Mateup dies under torture. Baby Zame organises a great ceremony to celebrate his victory over Liberty… But his speech is suddenly interrupted by the mysterious voice.

Capitain Ekumu, dispatched to a bush outpost, remembers the events as he looks back over his life. He is about to commit suicide when he sees that one hand is holding Mateup's notebooks and Arouet's photos…




Director's statment :

L'ombre de Liberty is a modern fable about Liberty. It is also a cry: a cry of Love paying tribute to Life. L'Ombre de Liberty takes us deep into a fantastical universe where reality is confused: perturbed by this voice that comes from nowhere and which raises hope everywhere it is heard. The atmosphere of l'Ombre de Liberty takes its inspiration from African legend, because it has a certain realism as well as a dimension that draws on fabulous imagination. The characters on film will be as one is in life, even when life is oppressed. It is often in such moments that Mankind reveals his lowest, and most noble, traits.
Imunga Ivanga





FESTIVALS / PRIX / AWARDS / TELEVISIONS

Fespaco 2007, OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso. 24 février-03 mars 2007
> Compétition officielle Longs Métrages de fiction


World Premiere Carthago Film Festival - JCC 2006 (Tunisie) : november 13, 2006.
> Compétition officielle Longs Métrages de fiction