The Eotile people live in Ivory Coast, where the language is also known as Beti, or Betine. Antoine Kakou from the Cocody-Abidjan University estimates 1 756 speakers of the two existing Eotile dialects:

– 6 speakers of the Adiake dialect, no longer used but for religion and thus considered as critically close to extinction.

– around 1 750 speakers of the Vitre Betine dialect.

Eotile was given up for the Agni language, “language of the invader”, and is no longer handed down to the younger generations, though speakers of Eotile still take a certain pride in defending their identity.

Presented next week at the CEMAf (“Centre d’Etude des Mondes Africains”), « Akwaba. Les Eotilé à livre ouvert (Côte d’Ivoire) » is a documentary on the everyday life in Eotile villages. Among other striking sequences: the village chief induction ceremony scene, hinting at ongoing changes in relationship between the state and the chieftaincy; or the very ancient religious practices, still in use nowadays yet coexisting with other foreign religions. The documentary also shows how the Past and a return to the language are stood for.

The 52mn film was produced upon the return of researcher Claude-Hélène Perrot on the banks of Aby Lagoon, in south-east Ivory Coast, in November 2008. She was returning to the Eotile with the book she had written on them, « Les Eotilé aux XVIIIe et XIXe siècles. Pouvoir lignager et religion » (published by the Editions de la Sorbonne). It is the only exisiting publication on the history of the Eotile people.

Screening on Thursday May 27 at 5.30pm, in presence of Claude-Hélène Perrot and directors Anice Clément & Jacques Merlaud. CNRS Auditorium, 27 rue Paul Bert, Ivry-sur-Scène (Metro: Porte d’Ivry). The film will be followed by a discussion with the directors.