Launch of the “Kër Nafy” series: an ode to life after fifty
Canal+ launched its first original series “kër Nafy” on Thursday May 21, directed by Kalista Sy. This production of eight episodes delicately deals with themes linked to widowhood, levirate and the emancipation of women after fifty years.
The dark room of the Pathé Dakar cinema refused to accept people last Thursday. Cinema buffs quickly stormed the room before the start of the series scheduled for 7 p.m. Some even had to stand due to lack of space. But the show was worth it. For more than fifty minutes, “Kër Nafy”, the first original Canal+ series by Kalista Sy, kept all its promises during the screening.
This new series features Nafy, a woman determined to regain control of her life after the mysterious disappearance of her husband. She will lead a real fight to preserve her freedom and control of “Kër Nafy”, a lodge located in the heart of Sine Saloum. Nafy will have to join forces with Samba, a former suitor turned businessman, without imagining that she will fall in love with her new 35-year-old co-director…
But beyond this plot against a backdrop of family drama, the series delicately explores current themes linked to widowhood, levirate, male infertility and especially love after fifty. In a story concentrated over eight episodes, Kalista Sy, alongside Djeydi Djigo, proves that it is indeed possible to glimpse, after this age, a love story. Beyond this aspect, the team also deals with the age difference in a couple, with Nafy who is in love with Sadibou.
“It was important to redefine the place of women when they reach a certain age. It is easy today to position a woman who is 20 or 30 years old, but it is very difficult to position a woman who is 40 or 50 years old,” explained Kalista Sy.
Another life
For the showrunner, it was essential to tell the story of Nafy, who, today, is a woman reaching fifty, facing many problems, and who decides to live for herself and fight to save a legacy that she built with her own hands. The plot of this story is not surprising for someone who has always put women at the heart of the narrative.
After productions like “Mistress of a Married Man”, “Yaay 2.0”, which explores male infertility and social pressures around motherhood, or even “Hair Lover”, which questions beauty standards inherited from colonialism, this series seems obvious for the one who has always placed the fairer sex at the front of the screen.
Also read: Cinema: Abdou Lahat Fall returns with “Independence Tey”, a dive into the heart of political changes in Senegal
“A 50-year-old woman is us in a few years. So, if we want society to be open and tolerant for women of a certain age, we have to tell the story of these women in another way to allow society to look at them differently,” she emphasizes.
“It is a great pride for me to play the role of Nafy. I think this is a very strong message for all women, not just Senegalese women, but those all over the world. We often forget ourselves for the benefit of others, and she reminds us that it is never too late to achieve, to fight for your own dreams and to preserve your heritage,” confides Marième Faye, interpreter of Nafy.
The one who is known for her roles in the theater emphasizes that bringing this character to the screen was not an easy task. “It’s an intense role, full of emotion, and I really hope that the audience will identify with this character throughout the eight episodes of the series,” she wishes, her eyes sparkling.
By Arame NDIAYE
