A Close-up on Bintou - Synopsis
Antoinette wants to start a business in order to realize her dream that her sons "and daughter" be educated. Her husband can accept money spent on sons, but believes that "one should not ask for money, one should go out and look for it". Sleepless and tossing many a night, Antoinette listens as the motorcycles, nicknamed "able husbands", whiz past in the street. She needs "one such ...".
Having no formal training in a particular trade, but driven by her need to succeed, Antoinette turns back to her childhood skill, imparted to her by her mother, of sprouting millet for beer.
Unperturbed by the start of her lucrative business, her husband assures his like-minded friend that her attempts will be short lived "as she does not know what she wants", and should she lose sight of "her place", he would be sure to remind her of it.
"Commerce is the first step towards prostitution ..." To overcome this and succeed Antoinette must persist and apply a little grigri obtained from a marabou that she consults to trap the culprit sabotaging her business. Caught in the trap her husband is totally embarrassed and his actions, fuelled by his belief in "a man's rightful position and role", lead to his complete humiliation.
Now with the support of her "able husband" Antoinette makes significant strides in her business, ... their family business.
