LYNSEY CHUTEL
One of Africa’s oldest film festivals will celebrate its 50th anniversary, in spite of the new threat of terrorism in the Sahel. The Pan-African Festival of Cinema and Television, known by its French acronym FESPACO, first launched in 1969 in Ouagadougou, the capital of what was then Upper Volta.
Since then, the biennial festival has become a Mecca of African storytelling in a city that practically exalts cinema. Burkina Faso boasts the Filmmakers’ Square, along Filmmakers Avenue with the statue of the father of African film, Senegalese director Ousmane Sembène. The city also hosts the African Film Library of Ouagadougou.
It is this history and love of cinema that the 50th anniversary will celebrate, but it will also grapple with the very real challenges facing filmmakers in Africa.
In a series of workshops, filmmakers gathered in Ouagadougou to discuss how the industry has changed, how to win back audiences and how to make a living from film and create the financial autonomy of the festival itself. The 26th edition will run from February 23 to March 2, 2019. In 2016, al-Qaeda’s presence in the Sahel spilled into cosmopolitan Burkina Faso with terror attacks on a restaurant and hotel, leaving at least 30 dead. Since then, violence has again come close to the city with increasing frequency of attacks.
Last week, the US State Department urged Americans to reconsider travelling to Burkina Faso, while the French Foreign Ministry warned travellers to avoid Burkina Faso, following an attack near the French embassy last year. There is also the ever-present threat of kidnapping.
In 2017, metal detectors and armed guards secured the festival and filmgoers attended with a sense of defiance. It is unclear what steps will be taken this year in the face of a more dangerous threat as organisers did not respond to request for comment. Still, the programme is set to continue in a cultural centre that refuses to retreat. – Quartz
