Kemtiyu, Cheikh Anta

“The Universal Man”, “The Capital Contemporary”, “The Giant of Knowledge”, “The Last Pharaoh”: these were the headlines the day after his death on 7 February 1986. 

Thirty years later, Kemtiyu, Cheikh Anta paints a portrait of a Senegalese scientist who was a trail-blazing scholar with an insatiable thirst for science and knowledge as well as an honest, enlightened political figure, venerated by some, decried by others, and unknown to most. It’s the story of the lifework of Cheikh Anta Diop, who studied Philosophy, Physics, Chemistry, History and Linguistics. All this knowledge came together in his thesis: Africa is the birthplace of civilisation and the Egyptian pharaohs were black Africans. A claim that came with a high price. This film tells the story of a man who fought his whole life for truth and justice in order to restore historical awareness and dignity to Africa.