Return to Belaye: A Rite of Passage - filmaker and RPCV Amy Flannery describes her husband's return to his African village where he is initiated into manhood.

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Senegal: Peace Corps Senegal : The Peace Corps in Senegal: Return to Belaye: A Rite of Passage - filmaker and RPCV Amy Flannery describes her husband's return to his African village where he is initiated into manhood.

By Admin1 (admin) on Thursday, July 26, 2001 - 7:52 pm: Edit Post

Return to Belaye: A Rite of Passage - filmaker and RPCV Amy Flannery describes her husband's return to his African village where he is initiated into manhood



Return to Belaye: A Rite of Passage - filmaker and RPCV Amy Flannery describes her husband's return to his African village where he is initiated into manhood.

"Some secrets can never be shared, like what your husband learned in the Sacred Forest. You can read books, make assumptions, and try to imagine things, but you can never get confirmation. Asking too many questions is considered impolite. Some things are simply 'nini.' That means forbidden in Jola."

In RETURN TO BELAYE: A RITE OF PASSAGE, filmmaker Amy Flannery describes her husband's return to his African village where he is initiated into manhood. Now a resident of Washington, D.C., Papis Goudiaby went back to Senegal in the summer of 1999. He spent two weeks in the Sacred Forest with his peers to learn the secrets of the Jola tribe and the responsibilities of manhood.

A week of intense celebration leads up to the initiates' entrance into the Sacred Forest. Harkening back to ancient warrior traditions, the men demonstrate bravery and invulnerability by slashing their bodies with knives and firing homemade cannons. Dressed in colorful costumes, the villagers dance and sing.

"Fascinating...Flannery captured part of what makes their union of races and cultures special."
- Nicole Miller, The Washington Post

"Incredibly rich, moving and beautifully filmed."
- Marty Hornstein, Executive Producer, Along Came a Spider


Yellow Cat Productions, Inc. is an award-winning video and film company offering a full range of production services. We are located on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.

Yellow Cat began in 1972 with "Homeplace," a folk documentary about agrarian life in Mississippi. The company was incorporated in Washington, D.C. in 1980. Today our productions include documentaries, PSA's, VNR's, corporate communications, public relations, broadcast news, and Government programs. We have been on the GSA schedule since 2000.

Our staff is composed of multilingual professionals who have worked extensively in the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. We are known for providing engaging programs, on-schedule and within budget. We make the extra effort to meet our clients' needs.

For a more detailed look at Yellow Cat's views and philosophy please read this excerpted article.
the cats

Amy, Michael, and Mary
on the patio at Yellow Cat



Press Releases
July 2002: YELLOW CAT Goes to Gambia

April 2002: YELLOW CAT PRODUCTIONS Gets Gold at WorldFest Houston
Tapestry Internationa picks up RETURN TO BELAYE

April 2002: YELLOW CAT Signs On With Documentary Educational Resources and CINEMA GUILD

March 2002: YELLOW CAT Productions Gets Award At Dc Independent Film Festival

January 2002: YELLOW CAT named National Finalist in Vision Awards for 2001

January 2002: YELLOW CAT shoots SHOWTIME DOCUMENTARY

January 2002: Yellow Cat Receives Award Of Distinction

November 2001: PSA Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War Airs Nationwide

October 2001: Yellow Cat attends IFP Market in New York

October 2001: SEMANA SANTA IN SEVILLE screens in Baltimore & Holland, Michigan

September 2001: Yellow Cat handles stateside production for SESGlobal


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