A crowd streamed out of a major Dakar cinema on a recent Tuesday night after watching Senegal’s movie of the summer: a book adaptation with no special effects or Hollywood stars that nonetheless has taken box offices by storm.

Director Angele Diabang’s film “So Long a Letter”, a film based on one of Senegal’s best-known novels, spent the last few months battling the likes of “Jurassic World: Rebirth”, “F1” and “Superman” for cinematic dominance in Dakar — and climbed its way to the top.

For a French-language movie about polygamy, female friendship and the place of women in west African society, its success was not a given.

At Pathe Dakar, where it debuted, “So Long a Letter” (“Une si longue lettre”) remained at the top of the box office throughout July and August, Diabang said.

With ma

See Full Page