Amina Magazine at FESPACO 1991 - Women, Cinema, Television and Video in Africa - a retrospective

Amina Magazine at FESPACO 1991

"Women, Cinema, Television and Video in Africa”

a retrospective

Thirty years ago, the May 1991 issue of Amina Magazine devoted a section to the coverage of events of the historic meeting of African women film professionals held at the 12th edition of Fespaco in Ouagadougou. As part of the festival programme, the gathering was organized under the title "Women, Cinema, Television and Video in Africa”. In addition the magazine feature some of the women who participated.

Articles by Assiatou Bah Diallo from the May 1991 issue. Translation from French.

Les femmes à la recherche d’un nouveau souffle | Women in search of a new momentum

p8-9

During its 12th edition, the Pan-African film festival of Ouagadougou paid homage to African women professionals in cinema, television and video. The workshop entitled, "Women, Cinema, Television and Video in Africa” brought together some 50 women from more than 15 countries. At the start of the event, an announcement: “all non-African women please leave the room”. A crisis of identity provoked confusion, disappointment and incomprehension among the participants. Is the Black diaspora African? “This reception, it seems to me, could be avoided if we get into the habit of identifying ourselves with a Black nation…”

After the bedlam of the first day, the women succeeded in coming together to identify their needs, to put into action a preliminary structure, to launch an appeal to FEPACI and to outline a declaration.

What is necessary in order for women to find their rightful place in creation and production within the audiovisual sectors? What are the best ways to deliver these ideas into actions? What are the priorities and, concretely, what are the desired outcomes?

Le pari audacieux de Chantal Bagilishya | Chantal Bagilishya’s daring challenge 

p10&12

Chantal Bagilishya is the only African woman in the Francophone world to gravitate to the area of producer: “it’s a nightmare, you have to be a bit crazy to work in this very volatile métier.” After the political events that shook Rwanda in 1959-60, Chantal and the entire Bagilishya family followed the first wave of Tutsi immigration. She lived in Zaire for 5 years, followed by 2 years in Burundi before joining her doctor father, her mother and seven brothers and sisters in Bordeaux in 1968. After secondary education, she studied journalism in Bordeaux with the famous writer and journalist Robert Escarpit. Not by vocation, but as the only means to gain access in the audiovisual field. Which is why all of her university studies focused on African cinema. Why this interest in the 7th art? Was it a way to direct her imagination towards Africa?

Aminata Ouedraogo, coordinatrice de l’atelier des femmes | Aminata Ouedraogo, coordinator of the women’s workshop

p12

Anne Knuth, Bons baisers du Zimbabwe | Anne Knuth, from Zimbabwe with love

p14

Anne Mungai, le fleuron du cinéma kenyan | Anne Mungai, the pride of Kenyan cinema

p16

Susy Landau, son festival à le vent en poupe | Susy Landau, her festival breezing ahead

p18

Le parcours de Seipati Bulang Hopa | Seipati Bulang Hopa’s cinematic journey 

p20

Flora M’Mbugu-Schelling: vive la solidarité féminine | Flora M’Mbugu-Schelling: Long live solidarity among women

Director, producer, distributor, I mainly make films about women, because I am a woman, and I believe I have a story to tell. A different story from the one told so far by men.

 

Since African films are view more often abroad than in Africa, I thought it was time that our own people see them. So I created a distribution company whose aim is to serve as a library of African films and those of women from around the world. And I hope that in the near future, UNICEF, UNESCO etc. will assist us in raising awareness among young people about film professions by showing our films in schools.

 

It is crucial that we stop improvising and work towards professional training in all areas from directing to film criticism.

 

In my films, I give women the chance to speak, to finally write their own story: to tell the world how she lives, what she thinks, and the life she looks forward to.

 

About the workshop for professional women in film:

The meeting is historic. For the very first time, actresses, directors and producers have come together to identify our needs and to prepare for the future of African women in this profession. Our demands are clear: we want the same treatment as men, especially in terms of financing.

p22

Clarisse Keita se fait l’écho des comédiennes | Clarisse Keita vibrates among actresses

p22

La “Cousine Angèle va à l’essentiel” | “Cousine Angèle goes for the essential

p27

La nudité dans le cinéma africain. Quand le nu chasse le beau | Nudity in African cinema. When nudity drives away the beauty

p30&32

Also see report on the historic meeting: https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2021/02/professionalization-african-women-moving-image.html