Muna Moto (1975)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Ngando and Ndomé; are in love. Ngando wishes to marry Ndomé; but her family reminds him that the traditional dowry must be settled. Unfortunately, Ngando is poor and unable to fulfill the tradition. Ndomé; is pregnant and bears his child. According to the village tradition, she must take a husband, at least one who can afford to pay the dowry. The villagers decide that Ndomé; should marry Ngando's uncle, who has already three sterile wives. In despair, the young man kidnaps his daughter upon the day of the traditional feast. An African Romeo and Juliet story.
- Actors:
- Philippe Abia, Samuel Baongla, Catherine Biboum, Gisèle Dikongue-Pipa, Arlette Dinbell, David Endene, Les Ballets Bantous de Jimmy Nelle Eyoum, Jaeki Kingue, Jeanne Mvondo, Esther Mweemba, Negro-Styl, Justine Sengue, Union des danses traditionnelles
- Directors:
- Jean-Pierre Dikongue-Pipa
- Writers:
- Jean-Pierre Dikongue-Pipa
- Aka:
- Tudji sin
- Genres:
- Drama, Romance
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Reviews (1) of Muna Moto
No Cash? No Bride. No Mercy - Muna Moto review by griggs
In Muna Moto, tradition isn’t just a backdrop—it’s the trapdoor beneath its characters. Jean-Pierre Dikongué-Pipa’s landmark Cameroonian drama is quietly devastating: a story where love is crushed beneath dowry demands and patriarchal bargaining. Ngando and Ndomé care for each other, but reality doesn’t. He’s too poor. She’s voiceless. Her father sees her as a transaction—sold to Ngando’s older uncle.
The film is gorgeously composed—its calm surface makes the injustice sting sharper. A quiet, observational style lets emotion rise slowly, helped by two heartbreakingly restrained lead performances. They don’t chase pity; they wear sorrow like second skin.
The final third is merciless: jail, coercion, and a child born into a rigged system. Muna Moto is a clear-eyed critique of how poverty and tradition can conspire to erase choice. Colonialism may be over, but its machinery still hums. And when custom is used as a weapon, it rarely shows mercy.