Colobane has run into some problems, and the billionaire Linguère Ramatou is the town’s only remaining hope. During a return visit, the residents plan to woo and convince her to invest in their survival. The mayor appoints Dramaan Drameh - a popular shopkeeper - as their representative for the task due to their shared history. To everyone’s surprise, Ramatou is willing to bail them out: on one critical condition.
Her visit quickly ignites chaos and distrust among the residents, who are faced with an impossible choice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEsF9RR3FOs
Linguère Ramatou is a former resident of Colobane. She returns decades later as a wealthy benefactor after living a life of adventure and good fortune. The mayor appoints Dramaan Drameh, a man from her past, as their representative in welcoming her and steering their agenda. He agrees and the two friends meet and reminisce on the old days.
When the official welcome committee states their case, Ramatou agrees to invest in the town and a lawyer in her company confirms that she is willing to give them a large sum of money - but on the condition that she can buy the court. Upon being pressed on her motives, Ramatou reveals that she would like to take justice into her own hands and bring Dramaan Drameh to account for his previous betrayal. We learn that during their relationship, Ramatou fell pregnant and Dramaan refused to take responsibility for the child during a trial — appointing two other villagers to testify that they had slept with Ramatou instead. She is seeking revenge, and reveals that she hunted the two men who had testified against her down and had them castrated.
In a world where you don’t find too many older black women gracing the screen in lead roles, Ramatou’s character is a stunning representation of independence, agency and curiosity. She is aggressively confident in a way that inspires admiration and confronts perceived ideals of the face of power. She is a woman who has suffered and refused to remain small. Instead, she proclaims herself the owner of the world and casts judgement on those who have wronged her.
Beyond the pertinent themes of neocapitalism and the erosion of cultural values in the face of personal greed shrouded in the film, the portrayal of a self-made matriarch is a powerful statement against misogynoir and ageism.
On the other hand, assessing Ramatou’s character through the lens of the power dynamics between the West and African countries conveys how institutions like the World Bank and IMF have crippled the continent by incentivising citizens against shared principles. When the residents of Colobane weigh their options between giving up one of their own and lining their pockets, it appears the choice has already been made for them. Despite reassurances that no one would hurt him or give him up, the residents soon get caught up in the promise of prosperity and prey on Dramaan, becoming the symbolic hyenas referenced in the title and throughout the film.
Based on novelist Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play Der Besuch der alten Dame (The Visit), Hyenas (originally Hyènes) is Mambéty’s take on post-colonial life in Senegal and Africa’s dependence on aid. Read more about the film in Mambéty’s own words through the Metrograph article shared below.