Purple Rain, Prince’s self-mythologising rock opera based loosely on his own journey to stardom, has been remade in the Saharan state of Niger – where few in the Tuareg community have ever heard of the musician, and there is no word for purple.

In the original film, Prince plays The Kid, a downbeat Minneapolis singer trying to escape a violent home life and make it big in the world of music. It was a runaway box office success when it hit cinemas in 1984, grossing more than $80m (£53m) and instantly becoming a cult classic.

But few in Niger have ever heard of Prince. And the fact there is no Tuareg word for purple means the film is saddled with the title Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, which translates as Rain the Colour of Blue With a Little Red in It.