Kongi's Harvest

Director Ossie Davis wanted to give Third World art some prominence, so he brought to the screen a successful play by one of Africa's foremost writers (Soyinka, who also stars). Soyinka is a dictator who has recently ousted the king and must now find a means whereby he can bring his country into the 20th century, even though many of his subjects are still preeminently tribal. The politics this new ruler relies upon are not always the most honest, and he frequently finds himself trying to obtain the aid of the recently deposed king (Onikoyi). He also makes a somewhat silly attempt to retain African cultural identity by having government officials wear traditional Af...