Laada

@ 'Laada' is the word for the commonly-accepted law, the expression of the traditions which determine everyday life and regulate social, economic and political intercourse in an African village. This is done by masters with knowledge: a master of the earth, a rain master, a master of rituals etc. This traditional structure is affected by modern means of communication such as radio, which introduces other knowledge and undermines the authority of the masters. The struggle between tradition and modernity is represented in this film by three young men: Do, Demba and Sina. They wonder what their future and that of their village will look like. Sina finds his answers in the values of his ancestors and refuses to leave the village. Do and Demba choose for a modern way of life and leave for the big city without realising what awaits them there.Touré allowed himself to be led by his intuition in making the film; he had no cinematographic examples in mind. He sought images with an emotional value and preferred actions to words. He wanted to make a film in which there was not too much talking, in which there is room to listen to people's silence.Drissa Touré uses cinema deliberately to tackle social problems; film is for him an ideal medium to reach the largely illiterate population of Burkina Faso.