Cinema
The Boy Kumasenu
Sean Graham · 1952
Synopsis
Kumasenu, an orphan, lives in a peaceful fishing village on the coast. Drawn by the false tales of his cousin Agboh, he sets off to seek adventure in Accra, where the city receives him badly; starving, he is caught by the police stealing a loaf of bread. An African doctor and his wife take him in and find him a job as a mechanic. Agboh finds his trail again and wants to use him to burgle the doctor. A voice-over commentary accompanies the story.
Context
The film was shot from October 1950 to September 1951 in Accra, Kedze and Keta, with non-professional actors, including a schoolboy from Cape Coast in the title role and the drummer Guy Warren, then edited in London. Its premiere, in the colony, took place in the presence of Kwame Nkrumah, head of government. Exhibitors at first doubted that it would please an audience said to favour escapism, but it was a great success. Awarded a diploma at Venice, presented at Edinburgh in August 1952, it was nominated in 1953 for the British academy award for best film.
Who it is for
A film of one hour, in English, held at the British Film Institute; it helps to know colonial Ghana in the fifties.
Prizes and reception
The first feature film of the colonial film service, it was widely shown in Ghana as well as in Britain.
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