Podcast Summary: Acontece que no es poco | Senegal, Omar Sy, cine y racismo

Podcast: Todo Concostrina – SER Podcast
Host: Nieves Concostrina
Date: January 18, 2023
Main Theme:
Exploring the historical realities France prefers to overlook regarding its colonial past, as brought to public attention through the release of the film "Padre y soldado" ("Tirailleurs"), starring Omar Sy. The episode delves into France’s colonial recruitment of African soldiers, societal memory, and recent controversies about confronting uncomfortable truths through cinema, with a sharp, irreverent tone.

Episode Overview

Nieves Concostrina and her co-host use the release of "Padre y soldado" as an entry point to examine how history and cinema intersect, particularly when films reveal less flattering aspects of national history. The controversy in France surrounding Omar Sy’s statements about war and racism is used to reflect on collective memory and the persistence of colonial amnesia.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cinema as a Gateway to History (00:37–02:24)

• The hosts reflect on how frequently historical topics enter the podcast via films. "Me voy a subir al carro de los miércoles de cine porque es que la verdad es que se me ha juntado todo, se me ha juntado historia y actualidad por culpa del cine." (A, 00:56)
• Recent controversy: Omar Sy, one of France's most popular actors ("Intocable", "Lupin"), stirs debate after starring in "Padre y soldado", highlighting the discomfort when national cinema addresses France's colonial past.

2. The Senegalese Tirailleurs and Historical Erasure (02:29–03:55)

• The "tirailleurs" were Senegalese soldiers forcibly conscripted by France during the World Wars.
• "Por supuesto, no les preguntaron si querían ir a luchar a una Europa que no conocían a disparar a no sabían a quién sin hablar el idioma." (A, 02:37)
• The hosts underline how the subsequent massacre when these veterans returned and demanded their earned pensions is almost absent from French collective memory.

3. National Memory and Selective Amnesia (03:55–05:53)

• France’s association with Senegal is reduced to benign symbols like the Paris-Dakar rally, erasing deeper historical connections.
• "Cuando un director francés pone a sus paisanos franceses en pantalla grande parte de su historia más reciente, pues oye, que no les ha gustado... esos algunos son los de siempre, los ruidosos, no los patrioteros." (A, 03:55)
• Omar Sy, when asked about the war in Ukraine, noted that African wars are often ignored by Westerners, sparking accusations from the French right that he was being unpatriotic or anti-French.

4. Truth in Film: "Padre y soldado" ("Tirailleurs") (05:53–07:47)

• Synopsis: Set in 1917, a Senegalese father (Omar Sy) enlists in the French army to find and rescue his forcibly-conscripted son from the trenches.
• The film’s background exposes how French history omits its colonial soldiers' experiences.
• Nieves laments this willful forgetting: "¿Por qué les molesta tanto a algunos saber la verdad, conocer la realidad? Yo creo que te ayuda a mejorar y a no creerte mejor que nadie." (A, 07:17)

5. The "Invisible" Tirailleurs in Cinema (07:47–08:29)

• Despite the centrality of African troops in both World Wars, they are almost never represented onscreen.
• "Yo no recuerdo haber visto las trincheras francesas a un negro." (A, 07:55)
• The co-host agrees: "No, no aparecen negros." (B, 08:01)

6. Numbers and Consequences: African Soldiers in the World Wars (08:37–11:43)

• First World War: 200,000 Africans recruited, 135,000 fought in Europe, about 30,000 died.
• The honor of representing the French Unknown Soldier initially almost fell to an African soldier, but a black body was intentionally rejected in favor of a white one when the symbolic burial took place under the Arc de Triomphe.
• "El primer soldado que desenterraron en Verdún era negro. Era uno de los fusileros senegaleses. Y... se decidió que un senegalés no podía representar al soldado desconocido francés." (A, 11:13)

7. After the Wars: Betrayal and the Tiaroye Massacre (11:43–13:10)

• Second World War: 150,000 more Africans recruited; many continued to serve in the Indochina wars.
• 1944, Tiaroye Massacre: France refused to pay Indemnities to repatriated Senegalese veterans; when they protested, French generals ordered troops to fire, resulting in dozens killed or injured.
• "En Senegal no lo han olvidado para nada, pero en Francia no quieren que se lo recuerden." (A, 12:39)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• About Cinema as History:

  “Me voy a subir al carro de los miércoles de cine porque es que la verdad es que se me ha juntado todo, se me ha juntado historia y actualidad por culpa del cine.”
  (Nieves Concostrina, 00:56)

• On Collective Amnesia:

  “Sólo quieren que se hable de lo bueno, de las heroicidades, de las gestas, de lo bien que se ha hecho todo a lo largo de la historia. Y claro, de las cagaditas no les gusta que se hable.”
  (Nieves Concostrina, 05:23)

• Historical Erasure in Popular Media:

  “Yo no recuerdo haber visto las trincheras francesas a un negro.”
  (Nieves Concostrina, 07:55)

• Institutional Racism and the Unknown Soldier:

  “El primer soldado que desenterraron en Verdún era negro… se decidió que un senegalés no podía representar al soldado desconocido francés.”
  (Nieves Concostrina, 11:13)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:56 – Introduction of Omar Sy and the controversy with "Padre y soldado"
• 02:29 – The reality of the Senegalese "tirailleurs" during WWI
• 03:55 – France’s selective national memory about Senegal
• 05:59 – Brief synopsis and purpose of "Padre y soldado"
• 07:47 – Discussion about the erasure of black soldiers in war films
• 08:54 – Statistical overview: how many Africans were conscripted
• 11:13 – The symbolic rejection of a black Unknown Soldier
• 11:48 – The Tiaroye Massacre and its ongoing silence in France

Tone & Style Observed

• Irreverent, candid, and lightly sarcastic, Nieves doesn’t shy away from calling out euphemisms, silences, and historical hypocrisy.
• The episode is rich in historical facts, leavened with popular references and direct questions about contemporary memory and racism.

Takeaways

• The episode illustrates how cinema can challenge national narratives and force societies to confront uncomfortable truths.
• France’s reluctance to face its colonial and racist past is mirrored in its reaction to both the film and Omar Sy’s statements.
• The erasure of African soldiers from history and even from national monuments is a poignant example of ongoing institutional racism.
• The Tiaroye Massacre demonstrates a pattern of betrayal: those who served France were not just denied recognition but violently suppressed when they asked for justice.

Conclusion

Nieves Concostrina brings history alive with sharp wit and palpable indignation, using the springboard of a current film and its controversy to probe France’s – and by extension, many nations’ – unwillingness to contend with the darkest chapters of their past. The episode underscores the power of art to disrupt silence and invite meaningful reflection.