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Creating a forum for rarely heard voices is certainly a worthwhile cause, but in Bamako the didactic approach of writer/director Abderrahmane Sissako (Waiting For Happiness) risks switching people off. In a courtyard in Mali, a trial is underway that puts the First World establishment on the stand for raping Africa of its resources. Around this setting Sissako observes village life in sometimes delightful detail, but that is just garnish for what is essentially one lecture after another.

The bitter pill Sissako wants us to swallow goes down easier with occasional touches of satire. Watching the white lawyer for the defence (Roland Rappaport) haggling with a Malian street vendor over a pair of supposed Gucci sunglasses warrants a chuckle as he then proceeds to defend The World Bank from accusations of exploitation. There are surreal moments too, like a segue into a mock Hollywood western where Danny Glover is one of a gang of marauding cowboys who wreak havoc in a dustbowl village.

"OCCASIONAL TOUCHES OF SATIRE"

Unfortunately, the occasional titter and Sissako's eye for colourful detail aren't enough to hold attention. Rather than provide an intimate exploration of the way characters like bar singer Melé (Aïssa Maïga) and her out-of-work husband Chaka (Djénéba Koné) are affected by the flagging economy, they're reduced to mere visual aids for drawn-out political speeches. As the end ticks closer, the voices get louder, more insistent and yet more disaffecting because the villagers feel as remote as when we started. Ironically, in an attempt to give Africans a voice, Sissako drowns them out.

In French and Bambara with subtitles

Bamako is released in UK cinemas on Friday 23rd February 2007.