This tale of a young woman’s journey from her home in Dakar to an unexpected life of servitude in France is a landmark of Senegalese cinema.

Diouna (Mbissine Thérèse Diop) is excited at first, to travel to France, and care for the children of her former employers in Dakar. Yet, made to cook and clean for Madame with no freedom of her own, it becomes clear that her purpose is closer to servitude.

This stunning black-and-white film by poet Ousmane Sembène is a profound exploration of post-colonial relationships between countries; radical and moving, this is the political made personal.

Cinema has lent itself as a medium for minorities and the dispossessed to challenge their marginality through storytelling. Black Girl is presented as part of Barbican’s The Battle for Representation series.