The purpose of the African Women in Cinema Blog is to provide a space to discuss diverse topics relating to African women in cinema--filmmakers, actors, producers, and all film professionals. The blog is a public forum of the Centre for the Study and Research of African Women in Cinema.
Le Blog sur les femmes africaines dans le cinéma est un espace pour l'échange d'informations concernant les réalisatrices, comédiennes, productrices, critiques et toutes professionnelles dans ce domaine. Ceci sert de forum public du Centre pour l'étude et la recherche des femmes africaines dans le cinémas.
Director/Directrice, Centre for the Study and Research of African Women in Cinema | Centre pour l'étude et la recherche des femmes africaines dans le cinéma
Une si longue lettre, un film d'Angèle Diabang, une adaptation du roman de Mariama Bâ | So Long a Letter, a film by Angele Diabang, an adaptation of the novel by Mariama Bâ
Synopsis
Mariée depuis 25 ans avec Modou, un avocat, Rama, enseignante élève ses cinq enfants avec brio et humilité. Éduquée et indépendante, elle est emblématique d’une femme africaine marchant vers la modernité. Son époux décide de prendre une seconde épouse, Binetou, 20 ans, la meilleure amie de sa fille ainée, la désillusion est cruelle. Rama devra lutter contre la mère de Binetou. Commence une lutte sans merci où s’affrontent tradition et modernité. Le film évoquera sa descente aux enfers : les vicissitudes économiques, sa lutte acharnée pour conserver sa villa et défendre l’héritage de ses enfants, sa solitude face à cette situation. Il sera aussi le témoin de sa reconstruction.
Ramatoulaye, headmistress of a primary school in Dakar and the mother of seven children, has been married to Modou for 30 years, and is shocked when he decides to take a second wife, 20-year-old Binetou. A merciless battle between tradition and modernity ensues, contrasting very different views of women’s roles in contemporary African society.
Bio Angèle Diabang est formée au Forut Média Centre de Dakar (2003), à la FEMIS à Paris et à la Filmakademie en Allemagne. En 2005, elle réalise Mon beau sourire son premier film, salué par la critique internationale et plusieurs fois primé. Suivent quatre autres documentaires, dont Congo, un médecin pour sauver les femmes, premier film sur le Docteur Denis Mukwege, prix Nobel de la paix 2018. Angèle passe à la fiction avec Ma coépouse bien-aimée (Clermont Ferrand 2019, meilleur scénario au festival Émergence du Togo) et Un air de kora primé Poulain de bronze au FESPACO 2019, best African short film 2019 au (AMAA) African Movie Academy Awards, meilleur court-métrage à des festivals au Burundi, au Rwanda, au Bénin (2 fois), à Dakar et au Togo ; Nuits en or des Césars 2020. Elle remporte aussi le prix de la meilleure réalisatrice de la CEDEAO (Afrique de l’ouest) au FESPACO 2019. En 2021, Angèle fait partie de l’équipe des 3 producteurs de la série documentaire Africa Direct pour la télé Aljazeera English. Avec Karoninka, sa société de production crée en 2006 au Sénégal, Angèle a produit une quinzaine de films au Mali, Togo, Congo RDC, Cap-Vert, Rwanda, Gabon, Sénégal, France et Allemagne. Elle est coproductrice de Twist à Bamako de Robert Guédiguian. De mars 2014 à septembre 2016, Angèle a été la Présidente du Conseil d’Administration de la SODAV, société de gestion collective du droit d’auteur et des droits voisins du Sénégal. (Source OuiCoprod)
Salma, a veiled Muslim woman, dreams of becoming a kora player. But in her tradition, women do not play this instrument. One day, as she goes to the monastery to retrieve her father’s kora, she is given the opportunity to receive secret kora classes with brother Manuel. This encounter turns into an idyll. In a joyous melancholy, the musical notes become an oasis for this forbidden passion.
Français
Salma, une musulmane voilée, rêve d’être joueuse de Kora. Mais dans sa tradition, une femme ne peut pas jouer de cet instrument. Un jour, alors qu’elle va récupérer la Kora de son père au monastère, un moine lui donne l’opportunité de prendre secrètement des cours avec le frère Manuel. Ce qui devait être un apprentissage se transforme en une idylle. Dans une mélancolie joyeuse, les notes de musique deviennent un oasis pour cette passion interdite.
BIO: ANGÈLE DIABANG
English
Angèle Diabang was trained at Media Centre of Dakar (2003), at FEMIS, Paris, and Filmakademy in Germany. In 2005, she directed her debut documentary Mon beau sourire, winning several awards, followed by four others including, Congo, un médecin pour sauver les femmes. Angèle is also the director of Ma coépouse bien-aimée et Un air de kora. She is currently working on a feature film adapted from Mariama Bâ’s novel Une silongue lettre.
Français
Angèle Diabang est formée au Média Centre de Dakar (2003), à la FEMIS à Paris et à la Filmakademie en Allemagne. En 2005, elle réalise son premier documentaire "Mon beau sourire", plusieurs fois primés ; suivi de quatre autres dont "Congo, un médecin pour sauver les femmes". Angèle réalise aussi "Ma coépouse bien-aimée" et "Un air de kora". Actuellement, elle travaille sur un long- métrage adaptée du roman de Mariama Bâ, "Une si longue lettre".
There’s a rediscovery of heritage on the continent and with that comes a shift in the relationship with Africa and Europe although not in a way that either side considered. Navigating this new space is delicate. A lot of thought is being given to what this looks like and what the ramifications are when put in the perspective of the shared histories that were never balanced. Is it now, despite the verbal will?
Fatima Sissani (Tunisia) : Cinema that reflects political history
Sade Adeniran: My Mother's Stew
Kaouther Ben Hania: Les Pastèques du Cheikh
Theresa Traoré Dahlberg: The French Ambassador's Wife
Angèle Diabang: Ma coépouse bien-aimée
Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann: I had to bury Cucu
My Mother's Stew Sade Adeniran Royaume-Uni, Angleterre, Nigeria / 2017 / Animation / 05'30 Synopsis
[English]
As a young woman stands outside her family home, the smell of her mother's stew evokes memories of a happier childhood. Can she reconcile her past with her present and the devastating news which keeps her outside the house?
[Français]
Une jeune femme passe devant la maison de ses parents. L'odeur de la soupe de sa mère lui évoque des souvenirs de son enfance heureuse. Mais une terrible nouvelle l'empêche de franchir le seuil de la maison.
Les Pastèques du Cheikh Kaouther Ben Hania France, Tunisie / 2018 / Fiction / 22'00 Synopsis
[English]
Cheikh Taher is a pious and respected imam. He agrees to pray at the body of a woman he does not know. But his pious act ends up being the sin that leads to his fall from power by Hamid, his Machiavellian and ambitious sidekick.
[Français]
Cheikh Taher est un imam pieux et respecté. Il accepte de prier sur la dépouille d'une femme qu'il ne connaît pas, mais son acte de piété s'avère le péché de trop qui précipitera la spoliation de son pouvoir par Hamid, son jeune sous-fifre machiavélique et ambitieux.
The Ambassador's Wife
Theresa Traoré Dahlberg Suède, Burkina Faso / 2018 / Documentaire / 20'00 Synopsis
[English]
We find ourselves in an extravagant garden in Ouagadougou. The French Ambassador's wife dreamt about becoming a famous opera singer. Instead, she is now using singing as a way to survive her seemingly privileged life surrounded by workers.
[Français]
Nous sommes dans un jardin somptueux à Ouagadougou. La femme de l'ambassadeur français rêvait de devenir chanteuse d'opéra. À défaut, le chant est devenu pour elle une question de survie dans un environnement apparemment privilégié.
Ma coépouse bien-aimée Angèle Diabang Sénégal / 2018 / Documentaire/fiction / 15'09 Synopsis
[English]
Two new co-wives are alone in a large house; the husband and children are absent. They don't want to talk to each other. At the same time, in voiceover, two other women tell us about their own experiences of polygamy.
[Français]
Deux nouvelles coépouses sont seules dans une grande maison, le mari et les enfants absents. Elles ne veulent pas se parler. Simultanément, des voix en off de deux autres femmes nous racontent leurs expériences de la polygamie.
I had to bury Cucu
Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann
Kenya / 2018 / Fiction / 13'43
Synopsis
[English]
Geoffrey and his brother Kimanthi have to travel to Shimoni to bury their grandmother. It is a most dreadful journey for the two as it will bring them face to face with the man who sexually molested them years ago.
[Français]
Geoffrey et son frère Kimanthi doivent se rendre à Shimoni pour les funérailles de leur grand-mère. Ce voyage va les forcer à revoir un homme qui leur a infligé des violences sexuelles dans leur enfance.
Salma, a veiled Muslim woman, dreams of becoming a kora player. But in her tradition, women do not play this instrument. One day, as she goes to the monastery to retrieve her father’s kora, she is given the opportunity to receive secret kora classes with brother Manuel. This encounter turns into an idyll. In a joyous melancholy, the musical notes become an oasis for this forbidden passion.
Salma, une musulmane voilée, rêve d’être joueuse de Kora. Mais dans sa tradition, une femme ne peut pas jouer de cet instrument. Un jour, alors qu’elle va récupérer la Kora de son père au monastère, un moine lui donne l’opportunité de prendre secrètement des cours avec le frère Manuel. Ce qui devait être un apprentissage se transforme en une idylle. Dans une mélancolie joyeuse, les notes de musique deviennent un oasis pour cette passion interdite.
Biography | Biographie
Angèle Diabang was trained at Media Centre of Dakar (2003), at FEMIS, Paris, and Filmakademy in Germany. In 2005, she directed her debut documentary Mon beau sourire, winning several awards, followed by four others including, Congo, un médecin pour sauver les femmes. Angèle is also the director of Ma coépouse bien-aimée et Un air de kora. She is currently working on a feature film adapted from Mariama Bâ’s novel Une silongue lettre.
Angèle Diabang est formée au Média Centre de Dakar (2003), à la FEMIS à Paris et à la Filmakademie en Allemagne. En 2005, elle réalise son premier documentaire "Mon beau sourire", plusieurs fois primés ; suivi de quatre autres dont "Congo, un médecin pour sauver les femmes". Angèle réalise aussi "Ma coépouse bien-aimée" et "Un air de kora". Actuellement, elle travaille sur un long- métrage adaptée du roman de Mariama Bâ, "Une si longue lettre".
Nobel Peace Prize Winner 2018: Dr. Denis Mukwege: Congo, un médecin pour sauver les femmes | a doctor who saves women, a/un film de/by Angèle Diabang
English
Dr. Denis Mukwege is a gynecologist and the founder of Panzi, a hospital whose primary mission is treating women who have been raped - casualties in the Democratic Republic of Congo's decades-long war. At the hospital, in the Kivu district of the country, Mukwege and his mostly female team provide reconstructive surgery and psychological counseling, as well as literacy and other programs designed to help patients reintegrate into a society that has a history of shaming and ostracizing rape survivors.
Through the work of Dr Mukwege, the film highlights the atrocities perpetrated on Congolese women, but also offers vivid accounts of their resilience and determination to not be defined by the crimes committed against them. (Source: http://icarusfilms.com/if-doc)
Français
Il y a une quinzaine d’années, le Docteur Denis Mukwege a créé l'Hôpital Moderne de Panzi, dans le Sud-Kivu en République Démocratique du Congo. Il y a accueilli et opéré plus de 40 000 femmes violées et mutilées. En octobre 2012, on tente de l’assassiner pour la troisième fois. Pourquoi veut-on faire taire celui qui se révèle l'infatigable défenseur des femmes violées du Congo et celui qui redonne la vie à ces femmes meurtries ? Ce documentaire donne la parole au docteur Mukwege et aux femmes victimes qui ont accepté, exceptionnellement, de se confier à la réalisatrice, Angèle Diabang. Des paroles rares qui racontent l’histoire de ces femmes qui souffrent parce que la barbarie s’est emparée de leur quotidien. (Source: http://www.film-documentaire.fr/4DACTION/w_liste_generique/C_37408_F)
Excerpted from/extrait du FIFF Festival International du Film de Fribourg 2016 – Roundtable/Table ronde: Etre réalisatrice en Afrique | To be a woman filmmaker in Africa - 13 03 2016. Translation from French by Beti Ellerson
Franco-Burkinabe Claire Diao, moderator of the roundtable (10:30)
My objective as a journalist who focuses on African cinema is to de-compartmentalise all of the linguistic spaces, to talk about Africa from Morocco to Comoros, eliminating the frontiers between Arabophone, Francophone, Anglophone and Lusophone…
Claire Diao: Introduction of the four filmmakers (11:30)
Nadia El Fani, Angèle Diabang, Pocas Pascoal, Rama Thiaw, have directed documentary, fiction, long and short films. Nadia was born in Paris and raised in Tunisia, Angèle was born and raised in Dakar in Senegal, Rama Thiaw was born in Nouakchott in Mauritania and raised in Senegal, Pocas Pascoal was born and raised in Luanda in Angola.
Claire Diao (12:32)
The question may appear a bit silly, but I like to pose it nonetheless - At what point in your life did you realise that you were a woman?
Pocas Pascoal (12:47)
When we begin to experience how other people see us, when you do not have the same rights as a girl as a boy does, that there were games that boys played and that girls played. There are societal rules that indicate that you are a woman… that experience lasted a long time. Very young, one realises that girls have certain roles that are assigned to them, I realised this rather young.
Rama Thiaw (14:30)
It came to me rather late. Coming from Mauritania I was called dirty Arab when I arrived in Senegal at five years old. Arriving in France two years later I was called a dirty black. I only realised when in France that I was black…
I was always dressed as a boy, in clothes that were handed down from my brother with only a year difference in age. Hence we were treated mainly the same, I did not have this difference in terms of gender in our family.
I realised really as an adult this notion of woman, an example, when I presented the film Boul Fallé (2009) at Créteil, people responded that I am a woman but there are only men in my film. But I film what I am interested in. I thought, “we are still at this point?” It was there that I realised things from another angle…
Angèle Diabang (16:48)
That is not an easy question, I would say, as Rama while growing up I did not have this notion of gender. I grew up among a lot of women; I was a person. What I realised very young was that I was an orphan, that was really my feeling of difference between others and myself, that is what I lacked, and not between boy and girl. And when playing in the neighbourhood where boys and girls intermingled, there was not a distinction made. I went to a boarding school and there were girls of all ages and I never posed the question of gender.
This notion developed in my mind when I entered in the realm of art, when I began to do films, since I did films that focused on women, and was asked, “oh it was because you are a woman, because you are a feminist. But that was not my motivation for doing films about women, for a feminist cause, but rather because they are topics that interest me. But that question was always repeated to me “but you are a feminist.” I am feminist, but why must I wear this hat when I do this film. I can do films about women without it being for a cause.
Nadia El Fani (18:34)
As a little girl I was called a tomboy…it was then that I realised that I was a girl. My French grandfather worked as a mechanic for the railroad and would say to me “you will be an engineer”. But more particularly my difference was being a mixed-race child of a French mother and Tunisian father. But above all to have a communist father. The party was banned, hence operated clandestinely. My family being a bit on the fringes of society, even very engaged within it. I always claimed my feminism.
But not to be against something, but for women’s rights, as long as they have not been won it is to continue to fight. I always felt myself a woman, I have always wanted to be a woman, even if others felt there was a masculine aspect. It is more enjoyable, less difficult to be a woman because, oddly there are less things to prove within society, to be a man one must become virile, whereas, for us, femininity is a state of being, so it is easier. That comes from my provocative side.
Audience (21:31)
What touches or hurts you the most, negative attitudes/comments about race or gender?
Rama Thiaw (22:25)
I am a human being first and foremost. Before gender, sexuality or origin, I am a human being. I fight for my specificity. The day when we see ourselves as specific human beings we will have won. That is when humanity will have won. Capitalism divides us in different struggles—gender, sexual orientation, race—rather than to reason on the human level, globally…There is no hierarchy in racial and gender insults, they both hurt. Universal feminism can also hurt me. The notion of femininity is cultural. You will note that Angèle and I come from Senegal, we have a very different notion of feminism in Senegal... A forceful woman must fight, which in the west this violence is attributed to men. In Senegal women are the strong sex. They do the hard work; they are the ones who manage things. Men are afraid of women within the household. However, we must conquer the public space. Women handle the money; there is no problem of equality in parliament. On the other hand, we must fight to have access to abortion, because of cultural attitudes based on religion.
You may find this funny but westerns influenced me to make films…There was nothing interesting in the Tunisian programming on television. So we watched these westerns and others. I was passionate about them, about Charlie Chapin and black and white films, even Buster Keaton…My parents were film enthusiasts, they were intellectuals and we lived above a movie house. And as children we were somewhat rascals and slipped inside to watch the films. I always wanted to make films. My parents did not have the means to send me to film school in Paris and there were none in Tunisia. They wanted me to study law, I did that, as well as history and even nursing, never really completing them, and then I had the opportunity to work with an American film production and started that way…I decided to realise my dream, I created a production company and made films.
Angèle Diabang (27:44)
Growing up with a lot of restrictions, in a closed environment, in terms of television watching, we were obliged to choose, rather than to watch what we wanted, it was very difficult for me…Since this was something to which I did not have access, I developed a vivid imagination and quickly guessed the plot and I understood rapidly the process of story development…
Claire Diao (31:31)
To note Pocas was the first camerawoman in Angola!
That is true, which is how I started. Television began late in Angola, there was cinema but it was not accessible to all, but rather to the Portuguese colonialists, and to a certain elite, my family did not have access to it, we listened to the radio. I grew up with the telenovellas of the radio. It was in 1977-78 that television emerged in Angola. There was televised news, and gradually films were broadcast. The first cinema was Russian and Cuban propaganda films; as Angola was Marxist for a long time. And the cinema of Sarah Maldoror, who was the first woman to do a film. The first film about Angola was made by a woman, there was no cinema before this. It was against colonialism, it was a very political cinema. It was a cinema that was found in the working-class districts.
Claire Diao (34:05)
So in retrospect, to see a pioneering woman who was also a role model.
Pocas Pascoal (34:08)
Definitely! She was a role model and continues to be. Her name is mentioned on every street corner. And in addition she was the spouse of the revolutionary leader who created the MPLA party. She was the reference, it was a revolution! To respond to the question, how I came to cinema. I liked photography, I then worked at the television station, as a very young woman, I became the first woman camera operator. I had a desire to work with the image, which was impossible as there was a very long war. And hence there was no cinema until 2002. After Sarah Maldoror it was a long interim.
I watched films from with my grandmother. And in Senegal it is quite amusing, in the movie theatres it is a spectacle in itself, as it is very animated with people responding to what they are viewing. We went to see the Kung Fu films with friends and siblings, we looked at horror films... On the other hand with my mother who was very interested in culture, we did not have the right to watch television, we watched films in black and white such as Charlie Chaplin, which I hated. My mother wanted to explain to us about World War II...She had us read Mein Kamp because she wanted us to understand the mind of the people, how they could be swept into Nazism… Also we learned about the Korean War and the Vietnam War. And we watched Apocalyse Now. I was shocked by it. But I did not know what it was called; I knew I wanted to do something like that. I did not know that was cinema. I wanted to be a poet…I was able to draw. Later I studied economics, since at the time I had utopian ideas wanting to change the world. I then realised that it would not be by economics but perhaps by the image…
Claire Diao (39:55)
Do you see solidarity among women filmmakers—internationally, regionally, locally?
Nadia, you endured a great deal of attacks because of the film that you made, did you feel support, solidarity as a filmmaker?
Nadia El Fani (40:24)
It’s a bit difficult to talk about the attacks that we endure. I had chosen to return to work in Tunisia…I wanted to work in the heart of my society, for a long time I felt that I was Tunisian and nothing else and I want to do my films there. Right away I was involved in Tunisian associations, that is part of how I was raised, and for things to advance they must be supported. The Tunisian filmmakers association was very strong at the time, there was a boycott again Carthage in 1980 initiated by the association; hence there was a political engagement. We created the African filmmakers guild in Paris though I did not agree as I thought initiatives should come from the continent—however my attitudes have evolved since then… Solidarity, I don’t know….
Angele Diabang (42:50)
I think it is difficult to say there is not solidarity when we are in a field where it is difficult to work alone. Trying to find funding, to find a group of men who are willing to work with us and to respect our artistic vision is already difficult to deal with, to find one’s place as a woman, who is not married, who must travel, be away for several weeks of filming, who cannot participate in the social events of the family because she must focus on her work, that is all difficult to deal with. How then are we able to support other African women filmmakers, and the issues that this status engenders? There are associations that exist in order to encourage and support these kinds of initiatives. Yes I attempt to do this on an individual level. Am I bad for not taking the time and effort to support others with their individual problems? I no longer have the strength and I have no one to lift me up when I fall. Do I have the strength to deal with all the problems of African cinema?
Rama Thiaw (46:00)
I am somewhere between both of you. No I do not think there is solidarity, between women, between African women, and between Africans, in general. It is a complicated question… There is a competition, that does not allow it, since there is a place for only one. I don’t believe in this, I position myself on the left of left. I try to be one who brings things together. I initiated a letter to the president of the Francophonie, Michaëlle Jean, because she was a woman, in the name of African women, but very few women signed on. I contacted Fepaci, no response. Though it is an association that is suppose to represent the filmmakers from the continent. A combat is like a marathon, one must reserve some energy or there will be none left. We have difficulty as women that is not talked about, that women must put their careers on hold to support their husband’s ,but they do not do the same for women. We struggle alone. What also exists is the mentality, each woman for herself, that each must succeed instead of the other. The struggles accumulate. The hope is to have the strength to do one’s own work and have some left to contribute to the development of our society. I don’t know if we succeed but we will try. We will create a production association in Senegal, right Angèle!
Angèle Diabang (48:10)
…I imagine that rather than think I want to make it instead of the other, there is the attitude that I just want to make it. In countries like here, where there is more means, one feels less of a competition, because the cake is bigger and there is a piece for everybody where with us, there is perhaps not even a cake but a piece. And we say I want that piece. That is why I say it is not the individualism, but that one wants to just do one’s film. Wanting to do my film does not mean that it is in place of Nadia doing hers, or Rama doing hers, or Pocas doing hers. No, I just want to be able to make my film. And that is the difference in being in an environment where there is almost nothing, and to do something with this almost nothing, and being in an environment where one may choose. Hence, it is not one against another, but that each wants to do something. And as Rama said, since there is the system that pits one against the other, I just want to do my film to have a piece.
Pocas Pascoal (49:48)
I have been in a lot of situations where women support other women, on all levels and internationally. In 2013 I met Nadia, three women were in competition at Fespaco, my film was not on 35 mm but digital and was withdrawn from competition… I was rather timid but Nadia, who I did not know at the time, supported me and said “we will go to the press with your story”. And in fact it became the film to see and won an important prize: the European Union special prize. I think there are those who are very much in solidarity. It is true that we are forced to think about ourselves, rather than for the cause, or to challenge things—since our cinema is very political, or give support to others. There is solidarity, and a great deal among women.
Nadia El Fani (53:05)
I am glad that you brought this up. Not to pat myself on the back but to talk about the men’s reaction. Those that were in competition, those with whom I fought in solidarity for many years, friends, colleagues. I was also insulted by some of them, it was violent. And on top of it, I also had a film in competition, so it is not about having the time. But when I am in solidarity with Pocas, it benefits me as well. When one struggles in the combat of others, it is for one’s own benefit as well. We cannot advance with the attitude that I have to be the one, it is a struggle for all. When we lead the struggle for all, we carry our own as well. Individuality is not the same as individualism. We are all irreplaceable; it is not about megalomania. It is true that in the struggle there is egoism… In filmmaking there is a team effort, and of course when one directs a team, there is a leader, but the leader should be fair. And to defend the cause of others is fundamental. There was a real injustice. The president of the jury was a woman cineaste. I went to talk to everybody, they all knew me. The reaction of the men was shocking, to imagine that for them to think that if their film in competition could have a better chance if the film was removed, the violence; that was frightening!
Pocas Pascoal (55:45)
The number of men who signed the petition was minimal. They refused. But it was for everyone, not just for me, but for everyone, for the cause. Thanks to this struggle, they announced that this would be the last year that this rule would apply. The called to make sure I was present because they would make the announcement. When in Cannes it has been done for some time.
Nadia El Fani (56:33)
I want to note as well that when my film was refused by Carthage [Film Festival], I wrote an open letter to them. Well I recall that there was a time when filmmakers were capable of boycotting festivals, stating that they will not attend because of a refusal to show a film. This solidarity does not cost much, though it has a great impact, but I did not get that support.
Angele Diabang (57:18)
I want to clarify that I did not say that I am against being supportive. However, one cannot reproach someone because they do not become involved in a cause. It is not because we are African filmmakers we must support others. I am not talking about myself, because whoever is familiar with my work knows that I am very active in Senegal, even putting my career on the line. I am president of theSociété sénégalaise du droit d'auteur (Senegalese copyright association), which I do without remuneration…I am saying that one should not be criticised for not automatically being engaged in the cause of others, since she may be dealing with the myriad situations regarding her own life and work…
Audience (59:35)
Professional recognition, what has been an important moment for you?
Nadia El Fani (59:58)
Interesting, as we are moving away from the discussion about being a woman filmmaker, that’s okay! I have always done what one would call polemical films, or in fact, films that did not initially find an audience in Tunisia or in the Arab world. My films were directed at my society, and by extension the Arab and African world. I would say I have a home at Fespaco, where my films have always been selected, but to the contrary, not in Tunisia.
When Neither Allah, nor Master! was finally recognised! What is recognition? To be recognised by the press, the media? Yes, it was interesting to finally receive an award, I don’t have many, perhaps special mentions, but never as far as obtaining an award. It’s amusing because, I am usually criticised because of my commitment, and here I am awarded for it!...
Claire Diao (1:01:37)
And Rama whose film was awarded the Critics Prize, category forum the Berlinale 2016.
Rama Thiaw (1:01:50)
No, not really!!!...
Claire Diao (1:02:06)
It could be recognition from a family member on social media!
Rama Thiaw (1:01:37)
…I would say that among us I am the one who has made the fewest films. Even though I began around the time as Angèle some 10 years ago. I have only made two films; I can’t really talk about recognition. I can only say that I am happy to have completed this film, which took six years. So when my father posted his congratulations on Facebook, after pouting for ten years that I did not pursue economics and become a banker, I felt I did accomplish something. One cannot say that because I made two films…no…I have a lot of work to do.
Nadia el Fani (1:03:04)
Do not be too modest, be happy about these accomplishments!
Claire Diao (1:03:10)
But one must know how to savour these moments of recognition!
Pocas Poscoal (1:03:21)
Yes, a lot. I have made other documentary films, but not with awards, but with this one [Alda & Maria]. There is a pride, it talks about Angola, and with it there is an Angolan woman in the world that is now talked about. At a festival in Los Angeles it received an award and the response to the film was very powerful. And of course in Angola. I also began directing later. As I stated I was editor. It has only been 10 years, so I do not have a lot of work behind me, but it will come.
Claire Diao (1:08:26)
We have talked about being a woman filmmaker, about solidarity, and now I would like to discuss the part about being a woman filmmaker in Africa. Some of you may have watched in the category New Territories, the film Mère-bi (The Mother of all) by Ousmane William Mbaye about his mother Annette Mbaye d’Erneville, the first professional journalist in Senegal, who was married to a professional man and raised four children. One moment she recounts that she travelled a great deal, produced many stories and her husband demanded that she return to work as a teacher, in other words that she “return to her place.” There was a blow up, and then a divorce. There is a particularity about your work in Africa, even though you may work between France and your respective country, in that there is the expectation that the woman takes care of the household and raise the children. You are also mothers, so the question that I would like to pose: Is family life compatible with a filmmaking career?
Nadia El Fani (1:09:49)
It is totally incompatible, that is clear. We have much more difficulty finding the time than men to do our work. It is much more difficult to leave one’s children to go to work, especially when they are small. I have only one child, a daughter who is now 25 years old. I saw the men who travelled to festivals, conferences, to whatever event. I was able to only do so only once a month. It was very difficult for me and for the men they had no problem to go here and there. My male counterparts had their wives to take care of the children. I definitely know what it is like as I have lived it. My particularity, especially as it relates to Tunisia, is that I am homosexual and the father of my child as well. We have never lived together. And I raised her basically alone. And it is not because he is homosexual that he acts better than other men regarding his child. He was macho, misogynous, he did not cared for her when I was not there. My mother, who is French, came to Tunisia when she retired and helped me a great deal, as well as my entourage of friends— women’s solidarity worked well in that regard, my friends took care of my daughter when needed. I think it is also difficult for the children, but at the same time there is a certain pride to have a mother who works in this field which is rather unique. For a long time my daughter refused to come to watch my films, now it is better. For her these films were the reason that separated her from her mother… And even at home I was cloistered in my office for long periods working on a project. It is a reason for living, not a profession. We are ready to make sacrifices, as are men, and we do it.
Pocas Poscoal (1:13:08)
It is very difficult. I was an editor for a long time, and there are also long working hours. Several times I brought my children to the editing room. There are a lot of guilty feelings also. Even when there was a chance to take a vacation, there is the question of taking the children and finishing the film, when working independently. My husband had a salaried position, hence working everyday. It is very difficult. There are no set hours. When I started working as a filmmaker, my children were a bit older, sixteen, fifteen years old. I could leave them alone and they could take care of themselves, and I could also travel for a few days. When my children were younger it was very difficult to travel. My children are very proud of me. There is no reproach about why I was absent. There is more for me a sense of guilt of not being able to give the maximum time to your children.
Rama Thiaw (1:14:48)
It is a sacrifice. It is not a profession, between quotes, “for a woman”. I think this is a reason why there is less coalescing among women because there is not the time to go to smoke a cigar in the club and talk about the next film. [Laughter in the audience]. Perhaps I was lucky. When I separated from my son’s father when he was two years old, I was still a student. I was used to keeping a charged scheduled, working on the weekend, attending classes, and caring for my son. I was a brave mother! I became disenchanted navigating between Senegal and France, on location and elsewhere, it became difficult to hold it all together. What is not discussed is the precariousness of this work as a woman, with parents from a modest background, without a man, without support. It is more difficult than poverty; between instability and poverty, a choice must be made. An anecdote: a young French woman asked me, “what do you do to live?” and my response, “I don’t really.” She replied, “well my dear you should do as I do, find a man to take care of you!” And I said, “no thank you.”
I was between Paris and Dakar and I made the decision to settle in Dakar to create my production company. I said to my son who was eleven years old—I am very close to my son since I was the one who raised him. I told him that I must leave to work as a filmmaker and that he would go to live with his father, it would be a more stable environment for him. He said it was okay but on the condition that for my next film I would dedicate to him in big letters “to my son Kaiya”.
Angèle Diabang (1:17:23)
I agree with everyone. It is a thankless job. Rama talked about precariousness, people think that because we travel around the world that we have money. And the men with whom we are in relationships do not necessarily help as they think that because you are in the media, in the press, you have everything you need, that we do not need assistance from them. But no, we had the child together and should give them an education. What is also difficult, I don’t know if you have also had this experience, but the further that we advance in our art, the more we succeed in our work, the more we lose in our relationships with our men. It is as if, I take up too much space in the house. I am not just the woman, I am the one who is seen on television, who is invited to Cannes. And I pay for that. With my ex-husband I was able, nonetheless, to have space in the house, where I could say, “here, this is my environment”…. When entering, knock first, when I want to have dinner with the others I will, if not I will do so alone. If I want to work until six in the morning I will. I need this environment, I need it in order to be me, it is important…I need a space to work, to go to for inspiration. Where I am me, as my person and not that of another.
It is difficult to find the balance of artist/creator, a family life, social life, to go to a wedding and other events during which women socialise together. I am not saying it is not enjoyable but I don’t have the time. I do not have the four hours to attend these events. I am then called a person who is not rooted in her culture. No that is not true. I am very much rooted in my culture it is just that I need solitude, quietness to work, to create, to be with myself, to be inspired, and often our society criticises us for expressing this need for solitude to create. But my 4-year-old son gives me the strength to work. I explain it to him and he understands. He says that when he is older he will go on the plane with me. And so all of the airplanes in the sky are those of his mom. Speaking of solidarity between women, as Nadia says, when I travel he has an entourage of women who takes care of him. And in fact he is able to do more than when I am there closed up in my office or in front of the computer. The house has more women when I am not there, when it is just the two of us. When I am gone, there is the grandmother, the friends, the cousins.
Claire Diao: Thank you to all and to the organisers.
Alors que se déroule le 15e Sommet de la Francophonie à Dakar du 29 au 30 novembre 2014, 11 cinéastes africaines se lèvent pour réclamer haut et fort au président Abdou Diouf, actuel secrétaire général de l'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), de soutenir de manière "effective" le "cinema panafricain et francophone" par le biais de l'institution, maîtresse de la francophonie.
Quand on sait que le "Centre de Conférence de Diamniadio", qui accueille le sommet, a coûté 77 748 998 euros (51 milliards de FCFA) et que rien n'est envisagé pour son avenir, pas même une grande école du cinéma...
La note aux journalistes met à jour le rôle des médias, petits et grands, à faire vivre cette interpellation, pour que remonte au Président l'impatience argumentée et légitime de ces 11 femmes jusqu'à ce qu'il réponde.
Aucune transparence dans les fonds destinés au Cinéma pour les rares exceptions où ces fonds existent, un désintérêt total de nos gouvernements pour la Culture et plus exactement le Cinéma. Ici au Sénégal, l’état nous a promis il y a deux ans un fond pour le Cinéma, depuis nous avons eu trois Ministres de la Culture qui se sont succédés et aucune information, aucun calendrier sur ce fond pour lequel les appels ont été fait depuis novembre 2013.
Nous sommes 11 cinéastes africaines à avoir co-signé cette longue lettre de 7 pages, que nous avons adressé au Président Abdou Diouf, en qualité de secrétaire de l'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (O.I.F).
Bien-entendu, celui-ci, n'a pas daigné encore nous répondre... Peut être se réserve t-il pour le dernier jour du Sommet ?!
Quoiqu’il en soit avec les collègues, nous avons décidé de l'envoyer à la presse.
Après avoir essayé des versions courtes, qui n'ont pas convaincu, nous avons décidé de la laisser tel quelle car elle parle de la réalisation, production, formation, distribution et financement, des problèmes et solutions, avec comme question de fond: ou en est le fond Panafricain d'aide au Cinéma ? Et est ce que le fond d'aide au cinéma de l'OIF va disparaitre comme c'est le cas depuis deux ans où il n'y a pas eu d'appel à projet...
En sachant que si ce fond disparait, c'est juste catastrophique, car cela voudra dire en qualité de réalisateur et producteur africain francophone, nous n'aurions plus de guichet de financement.
Par ailleurs c'est aussi la première fois que 11 femmes cinéastes du continent mènent une action collective.
Nous souhaiterions la publier, en sachant pleinement, qu'elle risque d'être écourté par vos rédactions.
Rama THIAW (Sénégal), Angèle DIABANG, Mariama SYLLA et Marie KA (Sénégal), Nadège BATOU (Congo Brazzaville), Samora SEKHUKHUN (Afrique du Sud), Laurentine BAYALA (Burkina-Faso), Siam MARLEY (Côte d’Ivoire), Pauline MVELE (Gabon), Ifrikia KENGUE (Journaliste - Congo Brazzaville), Ariane Astrid ATODJI (Cameroun) IN ENGLISH
As the 15th Francophone Summit unfolded in Dakar from 29 to 30 November 2014, 11 African women filmmakers rose to voice their demand to President Abdou Diouf, current Secretary General of the International Francophone Organisation (OIF), to give support in an "effective" way, to "Pan-African and French cinema", using the strength of the organisation as vehicle for this action.
It is known that the "Diamniadio Conference Centre", which hosts the summit, cost 77,748,998 euros (51 billion FCFA) and nothing is planned for it in the future, not even a major film school.
This memorandum to journalists underscores the vital role of the media, large and small, to spread this urgent call, so that the President is aware that until he responds, the well-founded and legitimate impatience of these 11 women will remain.
There is no transparency regarding funding for Cinema, in the rare exceptions where such funds exist. There is a total disinterest of our governments for Culture and more particularly for Cinema. Here in Senegal, two years ago the state promised us funding for Cinema, since then we have had three successive Ministers of Culture with no information, no timetable regarding this funding, for which inquiries have been made since November 2013.
We are 11 African women filmmakers who have co-signed a long 7-page letter addressed to President Abdou Diouf, who serves as secretary of the International Francophone Organisation (OIF).
Well of course, he has not yet agreed to meet with us ... Perhaps he is waiting for the last day of the Summit?
In any event, we have decided to send it to the press.
After attempting to write shorter versions, which were less persuasive, we decided to leave it as is, because it speaks of the problems and solutions regarding directing, production, training, distribution and financing; with the fundamental question: where is the Pan-African Aid for Cinema Fund? And will the OIF funding for cinema simply disappear as has been the case for the past two years, during which there have not been any Calls for Projects…
Knowing that if the funding disappears, it will be simply devastating, because it will mean that as Francophone African filmmakers and producers, we will no longer have a financing source.
Moreover, it is also the first time that 11 women filmmakers from the continent are taking collective action.
We would like to publish it, knowing fully well that it may be shortened.
Rama THIAW (Senegal), Angèle DIABANG, Mariama SYLLA et Marie KA (Senegal), Nadège BATOU (Congo Brazzaville), Samora SEKHUKHUN (South Africa), Laurentine BAYALA (Burkina Faso), Siam MARLEY (Côte d’Ivoire), Pauline MVELE (Gabon), Ifrikia KENGUE (Journalist - Congo Brazzaville), Ariane Astrid ATODJI (Cameroon)
“Congo, A Doctor to Save Women” by Angèle Diabang. An analysis of the film by Olivier Barlet. Translation from French by Beti Ellerson for the African Women in Cinema Blog. (An African Women in Cinema Blog/Africultures collaboration).
You only have until the end of November 2014 to see the excellent documentary by Angèle Diabang about Dr. Denis Mukwege and his hospital for women victims of sexual violence in eastern Congo. Immature child soldiers are pushed to rape women who could be their mothers. Rape, a weapon of war for the rebels of Kivu, destroys the social fabric, as everyone loses their identity: the women, as well as their husbands and children.
The documentary by the young Senegalese director is programmed in the early evening on France 5, a respectable French broadcast channel. It is a rather rare topic to be reported. But it is especially important as the film is of exceptional acumen about a difficult subject. Angèle Diabang could have simply presented a flattering portrait of the famous surgeon-gynecologist who "repaired" women; triumphantly returning to the country he was forced to leave in 2012 after three assassination attempts. On the contrary, in line with the humility of his character, what Denis Mukwege says facing the camera is but the starting point for other voices; those of the psychologists and other caregivers, those of the women who have been raped; also at the centre of the image is the force of their uncovered faces, they who yearn to testify before the world, of the horror that they have lived, in the wild hope that it would serve to defend against future acts. The camera’s framing reflects their beauty and dignity; an appropriate distance is always respected.
These men, says Mukwege, "transform women's bellies into a battlefield." These poignant stories show that his words, unfortunately, are so true. Because it is not only the rape, but also the rejection that the women experience by their families. "My tears flow by themselves": We learn that women come back, raped again, what do they say to the child born of rape? How do you love this child?
Attentive to the surroundings, the details, the emotions, and especially to the vitality of the women and how they enliven the space, Angèle accords them first place, putting them in the spotlight, which is the objective of the hospital: to give them hope, teach them to read and write, help them rebuild their lives with a trade (in the Dorcas centres).
Men repair what the other men have done: the surgeons come together in an attempt to disrupt the damaging effects resulting from the "culpable complicity" of the Western powers, even though "without justice there is no peace." By his action as by his outspokenness, Dr. Mukwege troubles both the Rebels as well as the Rulers, but he takes the risk of acting because "the women are the ones who will bring about change", by their resilience and vitality, and "we must fight alongside them."
Translation from French by Beti Ellerson for the African Women in Cinema Blog. (An African Women in Cinema Blog/Africultures collaboration)
Senegalese director Angèle Diabang was selected to participate in La Fabrique des cinémas du monde during the 2014 Cannes Film Festival professional program that contributes to the emergence of young artists of the South on the international market. Designed by the French Institute, the annual program invites with their producers, ten directors to Cannes who are developing their first or second feature film. Angèle Diabang's project in development is the adaptation of the celebrated novel by Mariama Bâ, So Long a Letter.
Adapt a celebrated book; this is an impressive and risky project! Why this choice?
I made the choice to adapt it into a film because I think the debate on polygamy but also on the situation of women vis-à-vis society, family and love is as important today as ever. At the present we are in an era where the image has a great impact, many young people no longer read. We look at more and more images, films, either on the Internet or television, even if there are no more cinema houses in Dakar. I thought it would be great to take an emblematic work of African literature, and adapt it for the screen.
Is polygamy still practiced in urban areas?
I think so, even in the urban environment and though our country has evolved and modernized, polygamy is still there.
It is true that the topic is dealt with in recent films, such as 5x5 by Moussa Touré.
Exactly, the debate is on going.
You come from the documentary genre; you have directed and produced many, why this passage to fiction. What desire is manifested in this?
It is true that so far I have produced and directed documentaries, and also a short fiction, but I have never made strict boundaries between fiction and documentary. I always knew that one day I would also do fiction because there are stories I want to tell that are impossible to do with a documentary: it would be too sensitive and not sufficiently subtle. I prefer to relate it through fiction. In the case of Mariama Bâ, it is an adaptation and so I can only do it in fiction. But I would never set limits with respect to these two genres. Rather, the documentary is a learning experience for me, allowing me to grow and develop into fiction.
While it is a fiction, it is still quite documentarised, since it is her own story...
Exactly. This novel is, so to speak, a "semi" autobiography and I'm sure there will be a documentary aspect in my film.
The literary adaptation is relatively rare in black African cinemas. It is an approach that has not shown real results. I remember the workshop "Etonnants scénarios" that I introduced a while ago in Bamako, whose objective was to bring together writers and filmmakers. However no concrete projects emerged from it. How did you go about your process?
It came about when producer Eric Neve from La Chauve-Souris and I agreed to work together on the novel. It took us several months to find out who had the rights and how to obtain them to make the film. When we got the rights, I knew that since I am not a screenwriter and having made documentaries, I did not want to write the film adaptation, but rather have someone else do so. Because Eric Neve believes strongly in me, and my talents, he pushed me to do it. He told me: "Begin, and when you know where you want to go, you take on an author," and now, I'll begin the third version of the script by myself! So far it's going well, people who read it are quite surprised and happy with the results. After this writing phase, I think there will be a screenwriter or a second writer.
Were the rights difficult to obtain?
Not really. There have been discussions with the rights holders for Mariama Bâ, but there were no difficulties.
Eric Neve has worked with Moussa Touré for the film La Pirogue, which is also loosely adapted from a literary work. How is your rapport with someone who is known to be an efficient producer, with his expectations and his constraints?
For me it is easy and pleasant to work with Eric Neve who I have known for a long time. We have had a very human relationship, pleasant and friendly. For the fiction, he was the one who pushed me to direct it, since for the last several years I have only worked as producer. He believes in my talent as a director and really propelled me, encouraging me to resume directing. He is in tune with what I want to do but he knows also how to read and make constructive criticism.
With a producer of his weight, the funding issue may be easier?
We are still in development. I'm at the Moulin d'Ande, which allows me to isolate myself, insulated from everything, and concentrate on writing. When Eric makes films, he does not say: "This is an African film, we will try to mend it." No, he simply says: "we will have the budget required for the film," regardless of the cost. He does not fix the budget according to the origin of the project.
Is he aware of the importance of the topic to contemporary African society?
Yes, I think he is aware. He has a house in Gorée, he comes to Senegal often and is steeped in Senegalese culture. We are on the same wavelength.
Can one imagine that the film once completed could be used for educational purposes, in schools for example, bringing the classroom to cinema?
I'd love to do that in fact. Since I finished Fémis, I have thought about a cine-school project or image education in Senegal. For this film, it will be imperative that I make the rounds of the schools to present it to students since it is a novel that is in the curriculum. If a student told me that after seeing the film that she/he revisited the novel to read, I would have succeeded because I have participated in reuniting this student with the literature!
As a woman I suppose this is a topic that touches you?
Yes, but with this film I am not interested in denouncing polygamy. Neither my producer nor I come with an anti-polygamy approach. There is merely the desire to show how the sociocultural rules of Senegalese society evolve and how we as women are a bit torn between a certain modernity—we are well educated, we travel, we want more freedom—it is a position specifically female, and that wants to respect tradition. How to manage this split between a strong tradition that is worn with pride and the desire for more freedom? It is in this sense that the project interests me, and less in the direction of pushing to abolish polygamy, because I am for freedom of choice: whether homosexuality, polygamy, the freedom to practice religion, everyone is free to choose. If someone feels good being in a polygamous relationship it is her right, after which she deals with the consequences. It is not for me to say whether polygamy is right or not.
I remember an anthropology book, “The Woman of My Husband” by Sylvie Fainzang and Odile Journet, which showed that polygamy in rural areas had an important function for women as it facilitated the sharing of heavy workloads, including childcare. But the book concluded that nonetheless polygamy was still negative for the status of women.
It is true that it is rather difficult. I could not be in a polygamous marriage, but that is me. I think it is difficult for women as for men because you have to manage two families, and today, financially, with the economic crisis, polygamy is not particularly useful to those involved. If a woman arrives at a certain age and is not yet married, she is not very well regarded by society. So when she reaches her forties, she resigns herself to be a second or third wife. Perhaps the evolution of sociocultural rules will bring about attitudes that will accept that a woman can live, be free, be someone socially respected without being married. It is not because a woman is married that her moral values are superior to those of others. I hope that we can one day see these attitudes come to fruition, thereby preventing the practice of women having to marry because of social pressure. I think that there are still many marriages that take place because of social pressure, both by women and men. I would like the adaptation of So Long a Letter to participate in moving things in that direction. I have friends who are in a polygamous marriage and who are happy with their situation, so who am I to say to them that it is not good. I would like the debate to evolve beyond "is polygamy right or not?".
This goes against a number of stereotypes about African women.
Exactly. As Eric Neve has often said, modernity does not mean Westernization. I think this way of condemning polygamy means that if you are not like us, you're not modern enough. But we can be modern without copying Westerners!
Does La Fabrique des cinémas du monde allow you to make significant developments? What have been some of the results?
Actually there have been important developments, as the project has already gained visibility. Before then, I had been developing it by myself underground. Today I can dare to talk about it, people know about it, are waiting for it. We met the artistic directors of the Critics' Week, and so they know us and are interested in our work. Apart from that, we met German, Norwegian and Brazilian producers, which has enabled us within this professional framework to discuss our project concretely with co-producers with whom we could finalize it. Having our project selected at La Fabrique makes it better received: having already been among the ten chosen out of more than one hundred candidates. And when looking at the percentage of projects completed at La Fabrique, one recognizes its quality.
Will there be a follow-up that continues throughout the next year?
Exactly. One already comes to Cannes with an established schedule of activities and meetings. We have the opportunity to indicate whom we would like to meet during the festival; it is a luxury! I was able to see the director of the CNC Brazil, for example. If I need contacts later, they will help me advance in this new phase. We were fortunate to have Walter Salles as a sponsor: a generous person with a great artistic sensibility. It was really a great opportunity; it was wonderful!
Last year with Raoul Peck, the participants said the same thing: in other words, sponsors really do participate!
Yes, Walter had read all projects before coming. I, myself was lucky because he had read SoLong a Letter well before knowing about my project and when he saw that I had adapted it, he was enthusiastic. But he really had a genuine sensitivity regarding all the directors and producers who were there. He was interested in all the projects.
Last personal question: how do we combine family life with cinema when you have a young child?
It is not evident! For the last two years I have not really worked because I was taking care of my child, my work was a bit on hold. But I'm glad to restart with projects such as So Long a Letter and my documentary about Dr. Mukwege of DRC, as well as working with the Société des gestions collectives (League of collective management) in Senegal. Now that my child has grown a little older, I can balance my work and family life, one just needs to find a balance. It is not easy I’ll admit, but I am trying to find it!
