ya wooto (that's just how it is)
Director jenny cartwirght
Countries Burkina Faso, Canada
Duration 68 min
Synopsis
From his village to the big city, Sylvain is trying to make it in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso, one of the world’s five poorest countries. There, he found a job as a bar manager at Le coin des Amis, a buvette owned by Hortense, a policewoman trying to make ends meet. Civil servants are not allowed to run a business: she is bending the rules as she manages her bar alone while her husband is away for work. Work is home for Sylvain: he works seven days a week and sleeps in the backroom. He has only one thing in mind: saving up enough money to get his driver’s license. If he succeeds, he could drive a merchandise truck, a job that would allow him to find a wife and start a family. In Burkina Faso, you are not really an adult until you are married. That is why he saves 100% of the 20$ he makes every month. In a year's time he will have saved up enough cash to start his lessons. In the meantime, Sylvain caters to the Coin des amis’ regulars who gather there not only because they can drink on credit, but also because they have become inseparable. The bar has become the centre of a micro society where every aspect of life in Ouagadougou is a matter for discussion. How long has the power shortage lasted today? Has everyone pitched in for the celebration of Women’s day – a national Holiday in Burkina Faso? Why hasn’t the fridge been repaired yet and what are the dangers of drinking warm beer?
From his village to the big city, Sylvain is trying to make it in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso, one of the world’s five poorest countries. There, he found a job as a bar manager at Le coin des Amis, a buvette owned by Hortense, a policewoman trying to make ends meet. Civil servants are not allowed to run a business: she is bending the rules as she manages her bar alone while her husband is away for work. Work is home for Sylvain: he works seven days a week and sleeps in the backroom. He has only one thing in mind: saving up enough money to get his driver’s license. If he succeeds, he could drive a merchandise truck, a job that would allow him to find a wife and start a family. In Burkina Faso, you are not really an adult until you are married. That is why he saves 100% of the 20$ he makes every month. In a year's time he will have saved up enough cash to start his lessons. In the meantime, Sylvain caters to the Coin des amis’ regulars who gather there not only because they can drink on credit, but also because they have become inseparable. The bar has become the centre of a micro society where every aspect of life in Ouagadougou is a matter for discussion. How long has the power shortage lasted today? Has everyone pitched in for the celebration of Women’s day – a national Holiday in Burkina Faso? Why hasn’t the fridge been repaired yet and what are the dangers of drinking warm beer?