Original subtitles

I ask everyone's permission for her to sit down

Permission granted. May Allah be with you.

Surah Al-Fatiha (The Opening)

Surah An-Nas (Mankind)

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds

I am not a stranger here

This marriage concerns me

We seek blessings from Allah

We also seek blessings from our Prophet, because he made marriage lawful

Our ancestors practiced this tradition successfully; we ask Allah to grant us the same

May Allah spare us from anything that could bring this marriage to an end

May Allah make this journey easy for her

May Allah honor us all and accept our prayers

We have come to you in the name of Allah and His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)

May Allah accept our prayers. Ameen.

The final verses of Surah Ya-Sin (Surah 36)

I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed

I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, and grant them peace.

I am the one appointed to assist you

I will be by your side to take care of you

I will be the one to feed you and give you water

My role is to reassure you. Listen to everything I am going to tell you.

If you do what I tell you, your marriage will succeed

Forgive often

Build a good relationship with your husband's parents. Take good care of your husband too.

If your husband's parents come, you must take good care of them

A woman should not talk too much during her LASSIGUILI

You must remain silent in this room because everything you learn here will follow you into your home

Eat everything I give you

Drink everything I give you

I will give you some medicine to help cleanse your stomach and make you comfortable

We will prepare porridge, grill meat, heat water for you, and I will look after you through all of this

You see the way you are covered? That is what marriage is about

When we return from the religious wedding, we will braid your hair

When we finish this, we will wash her head

The kounkoli we will perform for you will rid you of all impurities

because it is the ablution you will perform. That is why we wash the woman's head

May the respect and forgiveness of marriage be upon you

You and your husband should take care of each other

May Allah make your children truly be the children of your husband

May Allah never divide your womb

May the peace of God be upon you

Mounya, get up and drink the porridge

You must drink it all

This is what is good for a woman

While you are here, you should not eat heavy food, so that you remain comfortable

Drink this water; it is good for a woman. It will cleanse your body.

This is what is good; we prepare it in the porridge

When drinking it, you must not swallow it

In our tradition, before you go to bed at night, when you are ready to brush your teeth, you also put it in your mouth to keep your breath fresh

DRINK

We are going to perfume the bride's room with incense

The bride's room must smell good

So when the guests arrive, they know there is a wedding here

Give me some and go get more

May Allah make you get along well with your mother-in-law

Because even if you get along well with your husband but do not get along with your in-laws,

you are not truly in a marriage yet

May your husband love you like honey and sugar

You must get along with everyone, otherwise, it's a failure

May Allah never let that happen

I am Senufo, and I give you the Senufo blessing

You are my daughter, your mother is my sister. May Allah help you.

Mounya, may Allah never humiliate you

May Allah make you get along well with your husband

May Allah place the covering of “soutra” over you

You gave me soutra; you respected me

Mounya, may Allah place the covering of “soutra” over you

She is still here; she has not left for good

Even tomorrow morning, you will see each other

You can go in peace; nothing will happen to you

May Allah be with you

Do you understand?

Let us forgive one another

Thank you for everything

Calm your heart, oooh

The seclusion of the bride, called LASSIGUILI, is a key moment in the wedding preparations. It marks the symbolic passage into a new life, a time of retreat before the festivities begin. In Mandé culture, this ritual has a special significance. The bride is surrounded by experienced women who, through songs, advice and symbolic gestures, pass on to her the essential values of the household. But beyond its symbolism, this moment is also a time of quiet preparation, where intimacy meets tradition, and where the young woman prepares to enter her role as a wife.

Moustapha SOUMAHORO Les Films du Continent Zeinab SOUMAHORO Zeinab SOUMAHORO Othniel BONZI Fatim TRAORE Samuel OUEDRAOGO Marie AMANI Wilfried DAGO Arlette OULAI Corine HAMON Moustapha SOUMAHORO

Special Thanks Aminata TRAORE Mah CISSOKO Mounya BAMBA Abdel Aziz TOURE Mounya's friends Professor Yahaya KARAMOKO Sion KANON Griot Assane Hadja BALLO BAMBA Family DIAKITE Family SOUMAHORO Family Seibou Traoré Pierre Ceccaldi Mr. Hien Sié Mrs. Diomande Lysonne Fall Ibrahima Kalo