On March 25, Bentley will host La Quinzaine de la Francophonie, a celebration of Francophone culture. Samba Gadjigo, professor of French at Mount Holyoke College, will present "Ousmane Sembene: Man as Culture," a discussion about the life and work of famous Senegalese filmmaker, Ousmane Sembene. A film screening of Sembene's acclaimed Senegalese film, Xala, will take place from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Adamian Room 143, followed by Professor Gadjigo's lecture from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. (in English).

Directed by the "Father of African Cinema" Ousmane Sembene, Xala is an exciting tale that uses the main character's personal experiences to mirror the transformation of independence in Senegal during the 1960s. The program is part of the Distinguished Lecture Series, presented in collaboration with the Department of Modern Languages, the Center for Languages and International Collaboration, the Department of Global Studies, and the Center of International Students and Scholars.