Bien à vous, Cheya

The African Doctor is a French comedy-drama film based in 2016 in a city north of Paris. The film is originally known as Bienvenue a Marly-Gomont. The film follows a doctor, Seyolo Zantoko, leaving and taking his family out of their home in Zaire/Congo, and settling in a small French village.

The movie begins with Dr. Seyolo Zantoko struggling to find a way to stay in France. Conveniently, the mayor of the small village meets with Seyolo at a bar and expresses his need of finding a doctor for the village. The mayor is hesitant and tries hard to discourage Seyolo from the job. Seyolo realizes that it is because he is Black and convinces the mayor that he is capable of “fitting in” and doing his job.

The movie then continues on with Seyolo and his family settling into the village. Through the scenes of Seyolo’s children struggling to fit in in class, his wife losing confidence in her place each day, and a painful pregnant woman neglecting help from Seyolo, the directors of the film portray the African struggle, even in 2016.

As the movie strings along, Seyolo reaches a breaking point and makes more of an effort to go out and connect with the community. He spends his time at the local bar, the market square and the neighborhood and connects with the village. When he finally gets a patient to come into the clinic, the patients leave him without any payment.

The Zantokos struggle as they continue on without patients, heat or happiness. Seyolo tries to make ends meet by helping out a farmer outside the office.

The mood changes when the family and friends visit the Zantokos during Christmas time and sings a Christmas song. Seyolo gets angry at them for not ‘acting’ the way ‘normal’ people should.

The breakthrough of the movie is when there’s an emergency pregnancy and the baby has to be delivered early. The only doctor in the area is Seyolo and he works with the frustrating mother as a team to deliver the baby.

As the movie progresses, it’s a constant cycle between the family enjoying their time there and the family regretting their decision. Once Seyolo sees how amazing his daughter is at soccer, his whole attitude for his family changes.

Race was represented in the film when the villagers would not come to the village doctor, Seyolo. Having an African doctor was not something that they were used to. Class was represented in the film when Seyolo decided that he would help out a farmer in order to make ends meet. He and his family were used to the high-life and celebrating and luxurious parties... in the village, however, is something completely different. The village he was sent to is a village of lower class where he was used to middle and high-class communities.

Chapter 5:

How important is it to you to keep your name or take your partner's name if you marry?

For me, I personally don't think it matters! I'm open to keep my own name or my partner's name. When I was younger, I definitely had dreamt of taking my partner's name because having a name that was practically last in the alphabet never gave me extra benefits. Now that I'm in graduate school, it doesn't matter to me whether or not my name starts with a W. I also thought about if I were to become a doctor, an MD, or if I were to pursue a Doctorate's and have my PhD, I would most likely want to keep my name because I was the one who went through long years of education. (Wouldn't you?)


Chapter 6:

Look at the ads in magazines you enjoy reading. Describe the feminine and masculine ideals that are reflected in them.



The feminine ideals that are portrayed in this magazine ad is the feminine color and grace. The celebrity in this ad has a defined chin and sleek nose which embodies the feminine idealism of beauty. She also has long eyelashes and rosy cheeks indicating that females tend to be flirty and cheeky. The "mark" font that was used is also a feminine font in that it's defined yet soft and thin.



The masculine ideals that are portrayed in this magazine ad is prevalent through the female in the photo. Men want to feel and know that they're attractive and sought out. This ad does that with the female kissing his cheek. Men usually also want to feel like they're in control. This ad portrays that with his eyes looking straight into the camera as if saying "I'm just standing here. And look."

Chapter 7:

How did your parents model masculinity and femininity? Does your own embodiment of gender reflect their influences?

My traditional Asian parents modeled masculinity and femininity as one would think they would. My father fulfilled the masculine gender roles and mother fulfilled the feminine female gender roles. For most of their relationship, my father was the breadwinner in the family and my mother was the care-taker of the home and family. She would cook, clean and take care of the children. My dad would focus on making ends meet.

For a long time, their relationship heavily influenced my embodiment of gender. It was only after meeting my fiancé that I realized for some cultures, gender roles works. But as GenZ/Millennials in America, our relationship works better when we assume both "roles" and just accomplishes certain tasks as we go through it day by day. I have a tendency to want to take care of my partner and I also have a tendency to expect that he would pay for certain things, or make the first gestures, etc., but having no expectations results in our relationship to thrive.

Chapter 12:

Is bombing abortion clinics or killing doctors who provide abortion reproductive violence? If bombings and threats of them discourage medical professionals from performing abortions or if fear of harm discourages women from going to clinics, is that interference with their right to choose whether, when and with whom to reproduce?

Bombing abortion clinics and killing doctors who provide abortion is violence period. In this context, think that bombings and threats and causing fear is interference with their right to choose. If women have a right to choose, the natural act is to let women be. Doing anything else is keeping them from using their right.