The Burial of Kojo Film Difficulty Ranking: 4
Why Watch The Burial of Kojo
- If you like films which take you on a magical journey
- To see a film with a unique style
- For a few hidden political layers
From: Ghana, Africa Watch: Trailer, Netflix, JustWatch Next: Sleepwalking Land, The Fall, Eve's Bayou
A Magical Journey
In The Burial of Kojo a young girl named Esi narrates the story of her father, Kojo. She tells us that he came to live on a remote island in Ghana after losing the love of his life in the city. On the island, he met Esi’s mother and started a new life. However, things didn’t suddenly become happy for Kojo because of his trauma. As she narrates, Esi begins to soak in her father’s troubled past to become more involved in his story. In doing so, she uncovers some of his secrets.
The magic kicks off when a mysterious blind man arrives on the island from another realm. He arrives with a sacred white dove which he gives to Esi. He asks her to protect the dove from a crow-headed man that is said to rule the ‘in-between’ realm. Sure enough, the crow-headed man starts appearing to Esi, prompting her to investigate. She has to find a way to escape the crow-headed man whilst finding a safe place to keep the dove forever.
A Unique Style
The magical characters are complemented by the film’s unique style. It kicks off in the opening shot of a man looking on a beach watching a car on fire being consumed by the incoming waves. It’s a memorable opening shot that combines the core elements of fire, water, and air to jolt the film into life.
From then on, the director, Blitz Bazawule continues to add his stylistic stamp to the film with upside down shots, slow motion, reverse movement, and darkness. Each technique disorientates the viewer so we don’t know which world we’re in: Esi’s dreams or reality.
The style also creates something new to confront the hidden political layers of the film (described below). Its’ unique combination of film techniques can be seen as an antidote to the foreign exploiters. It deconstructs a medium traditionally dominated by foreign countries and pieces bits together to create something distinctly new: a new African style.
Hidden Political Layers
Whilst Esi searches for answers, Kojo’s main narrative thread follows him in his quest of striking riches in the gold mines. During his journey, he meets foreigners that all set him back. Firstly, there’s the Chinese company that has already gutted the gold mine he’d planned to search. Secondly, there’s a group of armed white people that chase him off of the formerly gold rich land. Lastly, there’s a gold shop run by Arabs where Kojo gets a terrible price for the gold he finds.
None of these encounters play a big part in the overall story of The Burial of Kojo. But all of these meetings hint at the past and present exploitation of African people and it’s resources at the hands of others.
- The presence of the Chinese gold mining company hints at the current economic colonization of Africa by China.
- The presence of armed white Europeans hints at the exploitation of the continent under European colonization.
- The presence of the Arabic gold shop owner hints at the Arab exploitation of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Their inclusion gives The Burial of Kojo a hidden punch to it’s child driven, magical realist narrative.
What to Watch Next
If you’re looking for more films featuring little kids and magic and visions, you’re in luck, there’s a lot. Check out Eve’s Bayou, The Fall, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Pan’s Labyrinth, A Little Princess, and Bless Me, Ultima.
Or if you’re looking for more African films with magic and dreams, watch Sleepwalking Land, When the Stars Meet the Sea, or Zerzura.
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