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In 1917, in West Africa, an expert made the following observation: colonial schools are the best way to assimilate populations. Schools were then built, children forced to attend. Children learned to count, read and write in French, without reference to their language nor their culture. The documentary Knowledge is a light explores the impact of this colonial policy, nearly a century later, in Burkina Faso. With poetry and intimacy, the film delves into the surprising worlds of traditional African education and modern schools. By a series of colorful and poignant stories, the film confronts the legacy of these two educational systems, born a thousand miles from each other.