Katanga, la danse des scorpions

Dani Kouyate / Burkina Faso / 2025 / 113 min.

Cast: Mahamadi Nana, Hafissatou Coulibaly, Abdoulaye Komboudri, Justin Ouindiga
Spoken: More / Subtitles: English

In the fictional kingdom of Ganzurgu, political tensions are running high. King Pazouknaam narrowly avoids a coup and appoints his loyal cousin Katanga as head of the army. But after visiting a fortune-teller, the young military officer is convinced that he himself will one day ascend to the throne. Encouraged by his ambitious wife and overwhelmed by paranoia, intrigue, and betrayal, Katanga himself plots a violent coup…

Dani Kouyaté drew inspiration from William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, but adapted it to a West African context. ‘Katanga, la danse des scorpions’ was filmed entirely in black and white and is narrated in Mooré. The film won the prestigious Étalon d’Or de Yennenga at Africa’s largest film festival, FESPACO.