Katanga – The Scottish play set in an African kingdom

KATANGA – THE DANCE OF THE SCORPIONS
Directed by Dani Kouyate
Certificate: 12a
☆☆☆☆

EVERY English teacher at some point has to answer the question from students: why are we studying a playwright from 400 years ago?

The stock in trade answer is Shakespeare’s plays are timeless, they offer intrinsic takes on the human condition, no matter how they are performed or adapted.

This African-set version of Macbeth is a case in point: the Scottish play is brought into contemporary times and set in an African kingdom.

The political power of Macbeth works perfectly in new surroundings.

King Pazouknaam (Prosper Compaore) shuffles his cabinet following a coup attempt: his cousin, General Katanga (Mahamadi Nana) is promoted to head the armed forces, but he is unsettled after visiting a soothsayer, who predicts he will one day be king…

An unsettling atmosphere lingers over the capital as the King tries to impose his power and competing interests queue up to support or usurp.

We know what happens – Katanga, with his ambitious wife (Josephine Kabore) chivvying him along, knows his fate is to commit regicide and take the throne himself. But after committing this grand sin, how debased will he become as he fights to keep his grip on power won through bloody means?

Shot in black and white, which adds a layer of dramatic contrast to the exhilarating performances, this is a brilliant re-imagining. Power and ambition, betrayal and loyalty combine to recreate the Macbeth story with new purpose. The play’s heavy atmosphere is only added to by the sense of airless nights and humidity, which works well as a backdrop for the intrigue.

It is part of the Film Africa 2025 festival, beginning in two weeks and featuring more than 50 films from 20 countries.

Screenings are at the BFI South Bank and other West End venues. See www.filmafrica.org