La Nudité fissurée de Zabou dans Timbuktu d'Abderrahmane Sissako

A groundbreaking analysis reveals how Zabou, the enigmatic figure in Abderrahmane Sissako's film Timbuktu, serves as a multifaceted symbol of resilience and transcorporality. This study deciphers Zabou's 'fissured nudity'—a poetic representation that intertwines the fictive character with the real-life Malian dancer, Zabou, known for her performances at the Crazy Horse in the 1970s. Through a close examination of her body as a 'palimpsest,' the research exposes layers of subjectivity and agency, challenging narratives under Islamist occupation while reflecting diasporic and spiritual atemporality. The study also explores how Timbuktu, Gao, and Port-au-Prince converge in Sissako's cinematic grammar, offering a unique lens to understand marginalized voices and their poetic expressions of resistance.

Curtius, A.-D. (2021). La Nudité fissurée de Zabou dans Timbuktu d’Abderrahmane Sissako. Nouvelles Études Francophones, 36(1-2), 137–155. https://doi.org/10.1353/nef.2021.0009