The Conversation

Oscar-nominated Timbuktu: right at the heart of the world

Author: The Conversation

Sissako’s eye is painterly, masterful.Abderrahmane Sissako/Curzon

A tracking shot of a gazelle running across the northern Mali desert. Shattering gunshots. A van of men is chasing the beast, concerned not to kill, but to exhaust and capture it. More gunshots: traditional wooden statues are blown to bits in the sand.

These armed marauders are...

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