Following his extraordinary debut Touki Bouki (1973)the first experimental feature in African cinemaSenegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambety survived mainly as a stage and film actor, and naturally expectations for his second feature ran high. When Hyenas was released in 1992 I considered it a safer film, but on further reflection I find it more considered and mature than its predecessor, with ironies that may turn out to be even deadlier. It