3 June 2005
Friday 3 June 2005 21:45-22:15 (Radio 3)
Radicalism in art, theatre and film is celebrated when Night Waves talks to the playwright Trevor Griffiths about Thomas Paine. Also on the programme, Paul Allen uncovers the link between photography and painting in the work of Frida Kahlo, and celebrates the work of the master film maker Ousmane Sembene.
Programme Details
Osmane Sembene is one of the greats of film making. Now in his 80s, his belief in film as a radical form of social engagement is unparalleled. When he shoots a film, he loads it on a truck and drives into the desert to show it to those who have no access to television or cinema. Not for nothing is he known as the father of African film making. With films such as Ceddo - a radical rewriting of the history of Islam in his native Senegal - and the international award winning Guelwaar, he's a legend of the 21st century.
Keith Shiri knows Osmane Sembene personally, and is director of Africa at the Pictures, which opens with his latest film, Moolade, dealing with female circumcision.He joins Paul Allenand the anthropologist Kit Davis, to discuss Moolade and the film maker's commitment to change.
No less politically committed is the playwright Trevor Griffiths. He's known for plays such as Thatcher's Children, and The Gulf Between Us, as well as writing the screenplay for the Warren Beatty film, Reds. In the 1980s he wrote a play close to his heart - These are the Times - about the revolutionary Thomas Paine, who was involved in both the American and French Revolutions of the 18th century. Trevor Griffiths talks to Paul Allen about his commitment to politics and writing - activities close to Thomas Paine's heart too.
Frida Kahlo called herself 'the great concealer'. On the eve of the first major exhibition dedicated to her work in 20 years at Tate Modern, Paul Allen discovers yet more new ideas about her work and life, including the unlikely influence of Botticelli and mortuary photography.
Night Waves, at the later time of 9.45pm, here at BBC Radio 3.
Presenter: Paul Allen
Producer: Ariane Koek
Additional Information:
1) These are the Times - A Life of Thomas Paine by Trevor Griffiths is published by Spokesman Press
2) Frida Kahlo at Tate Modern opens June 9.
3) Ousmane Sembene's film Moolade is released June 3 in selected cinemas throughout the country.
