The CNA, Cinéma Numérique Ambulant Afrique (Mobile Digital Cinema-Africa) : facing the challenges of/face à la COVID-19

 

The CNA, Cinéma Numérique Ambulant Afrique (Mobile Digital Cinema-Africa) : facing the challenges of/face à la COVID-19

 

En français : https://cna-afrique.org/nos-nouvelles/aout-2020

From the CNA Newsletter August 2020 (translation from French): Le  Cinéma Numérique Ambulant Afrique (Mobile Digital Cinema-Africa) : facing the challenges of Covid-19.

Interviews with the CNA Afrique president Kadidia Sidibe, who is also president of CNA Mali and Stéphanie Dongmo, president of CNA Cameroon.

Interview with Kadidia Sidibe

The CNA is an international network of not-for-profit associations. The CNA Afrique, headquartered in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, is present in 10 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali,  Niger,  Senegal,  Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Central Africa and France). Committed to the rights of the artist (copyright laws) CNA Africa is dedicated to the distribution of (subtitled) African and European cinemas as it relates to Culture and Development.

Presentation of the structure and the different activities currently in progress.

Established in Mali in 2004 with a European Union-grant, the CNA Mali is a cultural association that presents films to populations, in both rural and urban areas (cities and villages, in public spaces or university campuses, etc.) regardless of the social status of the beneficiaries. Its motto is “CINEMA FOR ALL, CINEMA EVERYWHERE. "

What has been the impact of Covid-19 on your activities?

Our activities have been on pause since the start of Covid-19 in March. Gatherings of more that 50 people are prohibited, as a result our projects have been postponed or actually cancelled. We are obliged to limit our spending to essential expenditures only.  If these measures continue to be enforced based on the evolution of the situation, a technical layoff will have to be imposed on half of the staff, and they will be given notice in time to adjust to the situation.

What strategies employed currently as a result of the health crisis?

There is not much work at the moment. We made proposals to our various partners but due to the [Covid-related] measures adopted by the authorities, there has been no favorable response at the moment. We have tried to be innovative but the feedback from donors is rather hesitant, not to go as far as saying non-existent.

What are some of the proposals to remedy the situation and to work better in this context?

Among other things, we have submitted scenarios for the production of short films to raise awareness regarding Covid-19. There are ongoing discussions but we are still waiting for something concrete. As for future projections, they are slow to come. Nonetheless, we are continuing to discuss possible research for solutions so that common projects can be implemented but that too seems to have not garnered results.

Interview with Stéphanie Dongmo

Presentation of the structure and the different activities currently in progress.


Created in January 2012, the CNA Cameroon is headquartered in Yaoundé. It organizes an average of 150 screenings per year for audiences who do not generally have access to the arts and culture.
Since September 2019, the CNA has led the “Cine-debate for peace” project with the support of "Culture at Work" and the co-financing of the European Union in the regions most affected by the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon, in particular the North-West, South-West, West, Littoral and Central. The first phase of this project consisted of the creation of "micro-sidewalks" in which the populations of the five regions of the project give their opinion on this crisis which has lasted for three years, and talk about how their lives continue to be affected. These "micro-sidewalks" were then broadcast in forty localities of the target regions, which triggered debates on cultural diversity, living together and peace.

The second phase entails the organization of three conferences on peace. The first in Yaoundé, the second in Douala and the third in Dschang. Professionals in the culture sector, community leaders, heads of organizations working in the field, religious leaders… will reflect on solutions to end the crisis and the construction of peace, beyond lines of division.

The second project we are working on is an awareness campaign on sexual and reproductive health in the Noun department, in western Cameroon, in partnership with the NGO Médecins du monde Suisse. This project was interrupted due to Covid-19, but we are working to relaunch it.

How has Covid-19 affected your activities?

Because of Covid 19 we were forced to stop all our activities. We can no longer meet deadlines, we are obliged to resort to amendments. For three long months, we could not work and our projection team came to a standstill. 
                 
What are strategies employed currently as a result of the health crisis?

We plan to organize screenings in movie theaters starting in August, with a maximum of 50 participants in order to adhere to the measures enforced by the Cameroonian government. We will respect social distancing by placing the spectators at least 1 meter apart, by requiring that masks be worn in order to participate in the activity and ensuring that everyone washes their hands when entering the space. We will also integrate Covid-19 awareness into our activities.

What are some of the proposals to remedy the situation and to work better in this context?

Digital technology and social networks have proven to be a powerful tool for communication and for maintaining social ties during this period. This should be taken into account in our future projects.

African Women in Cinema Blog Updates | Actualités 14-04-2017 - News around the Internet | Les infos autour de l’Internet

African Women in Cinema Blog

Updates | Actualités

14 - 04 – 2017

Content | Contenu :

African Film and Media

-Three Women Making Films in Zimbabwe
-Nollywood and Women

Stephanie Dongmo

Rwandan Women in Film

A Conversation with Tala Hadid

Afrique Plurielle - Alimata Salambéré - TV5Monde

Afrique Plurielle - Dada Stella Kitoga - TV5Monde 

Afrique Plurielle – Monique Mbeka Phoba - TV5Monde

In My Father’s Village by Tapiwa Kapuya 

Wolf 2017 Symposium | African Film and Media, University of Pennsylvania, April 2017: 

- Tsitsi Ella Jaji. Media, Development, and Trust: Three Women Making Films in Zimbabwe

- Chijioke Azuawusiefe. Nollywood and Women: Toward a (Re)Construction of Gender.  

Stephanie Dongmo

« Il y a beaucoup d’enfants avec plusieurs actes et plusieurs pères » Entretien réalisé par Claudel Tchinda. Hanoscultures.com

Tala Hadid

Arab Cinema Through a Narrow Frame: A Conversation with Tala Hadid.
Kamran Rastegar. March 2017 

Rwandan Women in Film | aKoma 12 March 2017

If the way we are being brought up as a girl affect our understanding of the world, how does this impact the work of female filmmakers? What stories do they tell?

Interviews with Dusabejambo Clémentine, Kantarama Gahigiri and Jacqueline Kalimunda video by Amplify fellow Cynthia Butare

RECENT FILM TRAILERS AND CLIPS

Alimata Salambéré

Afrique Plurielle - Alimata Salambéré - TV5Monde

Personnalité incontournable du monde de la culture, la burkinabé Alimata Salambéré débute en tant que journaliste-reporter avant de gravir les échelons et devenir chef des programmes de la RTB. L'un des membres fondateurs du Fespaco, elle s'est beaucoup investie pour faire rayonner l'événement à l'international.

Réalisation : Katy NDiaye (Belgique, 2016)

Dada Stella Kitoga

Afrique Plurielle - Dada Stella Kitoga - TV5Monde 

Émission composée d'un documentaire montrant les différentes facettes de l'Afrique et d'une production propre du CIRTEF, « Franc parler », qui donne la parole à des personnalités issues de différents milieux (littéraires, artistiques, scientifiques, sportifs... 

Monique Mbeka Phoba

Afrique Plurielle – Monique Mbeka Phoba - TV5Monde 

Émission composée d'un documentaire montrant les différentes facettes de l'Afrique et d'une production propre du CIRTEF, « Franc parler », qui donne la parole à des personnalités issues de différents milieux (littéraires, artistiques, scientifiques, sportifs...

Tapiwa Kapuya

In My Father’s Village by Tapiwa Kapuya and Tawanda Gunda, produced by Tsitsi Dangarembga. YouTube, posted 5 April 2017.

Ruvheneko, 19, rides on a bus and opens a picture book, gazing at old pictures of her father. She goes back to his village to claim her inheritance, but things have changed.

- Zimbabwe became independent in 1980. A fierce liberation war had brought the long awaited freedom, but the scars of this war are still felt until today. And the spoils of the war were only going to be shared with a few…

Read a profile of Tapiwa Kapuya at the ICAPA Trust.

African Women in Cinema Blog: Updates | Actualités 31-03-2017 - News around the Internet | Les infos autour de l’Internet

African Women in Cinema Blog

Updates | Actualités

31 - 03 – 2017

Content | Contenu :

Véro Tshanda Beya

Issa Rae

Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante

Khady Sylla, Rama Thiaw

Stephanie Dongmo - Le cinéma noir brésilien 

Tsitsi Dangarembga, International Women’s Day 

Rumbi Katedza

The Republic – a pilot series by Nicole Amarteifio

Véro Tshanda Beya

Cinéma : qui est Véro Tshanda Beya, l’apprentie comédienne héroïne du dernier film d’Alain Gomis? : Jeune Afrique. 28-0-2017 

Issa Rae
On Telling Her Story And The Road From YouTube To HBO by Sydney Scott : Essence. 28-03-2017. 

Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante

Spotlight on Filmmaker Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante : The Huffington Post. 27-03-2017

Khady Sylla, Rama Thiaw

KHADY SYLLA, IN MEMORIAM. La cinéaste Rama Thiaw acquiert le siège n.12 de la grande salle du Ciné Guimbi qui portera le nom de feu Khady Sylla : Ciné Guimbi Facebook Page. 27-03-2017.

Stephanie Dongmo

Stephanie Dongmo - Fespaco 2017: Le cinéma noir brésilien s’affirme : Africulture. 22-03-2017

Tsitsi Dangarembga

Tsitsi Dangarembga at the 2017 International Women’s Day Commemorative Discussion – UNISA Campus, Ormonde, Johannesburg - Women Activism in Africa:  Is Feminism Divisive, unAfrican and anti-Black? Debunking the Myth : Mbeki.org. 10-03-2017. 

ALSO READ | À LIRE AUSSI:

Rumbi Katedza

Spotlight on Rumbi Katedza by Ashleigh Zvobgo : Of Africa Mag. 24-02-2017.

Nicole Amarteifio

The Republic – a pilot series by Nicole Amarteifio (An African City) : therepublic.vhx.tv

Examining the past to envision the future | Interroger le passé pour envisager le future by/par Stéphanie Dongmo on/sur Une feuille dans le vent – Leaf in the Wind by/de Jean-Marie Teno

Examining the past to envision the future |Interroger le passé pour envisager le future de/par Stéphanie Dongmo on/sur Une feuille dans le vent – Leaf in the Wind de/par Jean-Marie Teno)

SOURCE: http://stephaniedongmo.blogspot.com - 2014-09-14. Article by/par Stéphanie Dongmo. Translated from French by Beti Ellerson.

EN FRANÇAIS et l'entretien avec Jean-Marie Teno

Awarded first prize for documentary at the 2014 Ecrans noirs festival, A Leaf in the Wind by Jean-Marie Teno presents Ernestine Ouandie’s quest for truth, against the background of the history of the independence of Cameroon. 

"How do you expect a leaf without a stalk to live? I'm like a leaf; I need the branch to survive. When you cut the branch, the leaf will dry, the wind will blow it left, right, up, down, and the leaf will disappear one day." This sentence sums up Ernestine Ouandie’s entire existence. Throughout the film, she relates her sorrow and the perpetual quest of the father.

Born in 1961 in Nigeria, Ernestine is the daughter of Ernest Ouandié, the Cameroonian nationalist who led the UPC after the assassination of Ruben Um Nyobe in 1958 and Felix Moumie in 1960. In this 55-minute documentary, she gives herself entirely. She recounts her difficult childhood and her encounter with her father's country in 1987 after growing up in Ghana. She especially decries the veil of silence surrounding the history of Cameroon, which, for her, is an integral part of her family history. 

To date, the circumstances of the surrender of Ernest Ouandié, executed in Bafoussam in 1971, remain unclear. And there is no commemorative plaque honouring the martyrs, portrayed at the time as guerrilla fighters. Ernestine wants the truth, so she may pass it on to her children, because to project into the future, one needs to look at one's past. "It hurts to know that one must die twice. The first death, itself, is hard enough to accept. The second death, which is silence, will bring us nowhere. When history is written, the wandering souls will finally come to rest," she said. 

One morning of October 2009, Ernestine Ouandié went to join these wandering souls. At that moment, Jean-Marie Teno, who interviewed her in 2004, looks at her revelations in a new way: "I was so touched by her story. I did not know what form the film would take at that point. For a long time in the interview, she talks to me about the metaphor of the leaf but I did not understand. It is when she died that I realized that it made sense. I found in her a depth that made ​​me think that her words should be given attention.”

Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first president, once said that "the socio-psychological effects of colonisation are far more important than the political consequences because they penetrate deep into the minds of people and take longer to eradicate." Until her death, Ernestine Ouandé carried this burden, in a country where the history of independence has always been elusive. Facing the camera, this beautiful woman, who one senses is desperately alone in her quest, demands justice for truth. Her thoughts are methodically constructed. Her voice and her eyes are full of emotion. One senses that she is close to tears, but she does not crack. 

To put his story into perspective, Jean-Marie Teno utilises archive footage to recount the struggle for independence. He thus draws a parallel between the life of Ernestine and that of "Comrade Emile," her father. The use of illustrations by Kemo Sambé assists in filling the gaps in the story, and gives the viewer a change from the focus on Ernestine's face. The film shot in English and subtitled in French, is dedicated to the children of Ernestine: Boris, Ernesto and Helen. 

Review by Stéphanie Dongmo

Excerpt about A Leaf in the Wind from a discussion with Jean-Marie Teno during a meeting with Cameroon art critics (l’Association de journalistes culturels du Cameroun), compiled by Stéphanie Dongmo. Translated from French by Beti Ellerson

EN FRANÇAIS

My latest film, A Leaf in the Wind, is my encounter with Ernestine Ouandié. There are specific circumstances that often dictate most of the films that I make. Beginning in 2000 Ernestine tried to meet with people who had worked on colonial history, who knew a little about the history of her father. Also she and my sister had a mutual friend in Bafoussam where my mother lives and where I go often on vacation. We ended up meeting, we talked, and she had this need to talk about her father’s story and that's how the interview was done.

I was so touched by her story. I did not know what form the film would take at that point. For a long time in the interview, she talks to me about the metaphor of the leaf but I did not understand. It is when she died that I realized that it made sense. I found in her a depth that made ​​me think that her words should be given attention, everything that she said in relation to pan-Africanism, the way Cameroon was perceived by the Anglophone countries after independence. It was the moment to question all of this, as well as history.

In order to put Ernestine’s story in perspective, I needed historical markers. The archival footage of this film is drawn from d’Afrique je te plumerai (Africa I will fleece you, 1992). Ernestine had suffered from the absence of her father during her childhood. When she became a woman, she needed to know the history of her father. So I structured the film around her life, her father’s, and the history of Cameroon. To recount, from someone’s perspective, the larger history of Cameroon, those things we do not talk about. This meeting makes sense only when you have brought together all these reflections and that is why I recorded it at the same time, I had to build a story that allows people to continue to deconstruct a lot of the things that we are taught in order to lock us into a certain way of seeing and thinking.

When I arrived at Ernestine’s house, I only had the camera, a 3-hour tape, and no tripod. There was not enough light in the living room to do the interview so I decided to do it outside. We sat on the porch as if having a conversation. The shot was fairly wide, as I did not want a close-up since I knew that what she was going to tell me was not easy, I put the camera on my lap. I started in French and then realised she was searching for words. After an hour we conversed in English where she felt more at ease and then she really began telling her story.

When you have an interview with someone who has constructed a thought that develops over time, it is not easy to stop her. First, she is a woman who is beautiful, who is a pleasure to look at, and at the same time, there is all this pain that is confined inside. When I showed the film in Europe, many people came out of the theatre with tears in their eyes. We see someone with so much strength who then leaves, and at the same time she is given homage without being judged. Someone talks for 30-35 minutes, we listen to her words, and in these words are her experience. This emotional weight I put in context with the story of her father; something we do not often see in documentaries. 

Speaking to liberate

A film only allows people to begin to search, to talk. We must speak in order to free those who are in pain, one must not be afraid of these words. A history is told from a lot of different perspectives. How each person perceives the same events is interesting to analyse: to know why there was conflict and how we go forward in relationship to this history, to allow us to go beyond it. This work is necessary; otherwise we will continue to have resentment and suffering. And that is why Nkrumah said that the psychological effects of colonialism are much longer and difficult to eradicate than the political and economic consequences. 

Reactions

When I make films, I expect some knocks; but there are those blows that are very painful because they come from where one least expects them. The work I did for Ernestine, her family, her children, for me it was a commitment to the continuation of what I do, and it is very difficult to see people come up to me thinking it is a film that I made for my own benefit from the hardship of someone else. If I wanted to get rich, I would be doing a different kind of cinema and not this. I think the work I do, as do many researchers and historians, is not always recognized for its fair value. 

It did not go over very well with some members Ernestine's family. I do not hold that against them, I know that human nature is what it is, but I'm here, I'm going to cope. I was touched by the reaction of the children of Ernestine; that is sufficient. The film has not been shown much. Its first showing was on 18 March 2014 at the time of the premiere. An attorney for Ernestine’s family wanted to ban the film.

I wanted to show the film in Cameroon. People were disturbed at the beginning and ended up being captivated by it. I am very interested in how people perceive the film here; I always try to put myself on that level.

Nadine Otsobogo: “The public is shy about themes on the environment" | « Le public est timide à la thématique de l’environnement ». Interview by/par Stéphanie Dongmo

SOURCE: africine.org - 2014-09-15. Interview by/par Stéphanie Dongmo. Translated from French by Beti Ellerson.

EN FRANÇAIS

Nadine Otsobogo, the General Delegate of the Masuku Nature and Environment Film Festival reflects on the second edition which was held from 13-17 August 2014 in Franceville, Gabon. The only prize of this festival, the Audience Award, was conferred to the short film Siggil by Rémi Mazet (20 min, 2010). 

What is your assessment of this second edition of the Masuku Film Festival? 

Responses were fairly positive, since at the 1st edition there were not as many films, nor as much hype around the festival. The patron last year, the Senegalese environment minister, could not attend the event. This year’s patron was present, she pushed us further. She enjoyed the films, the initiative. Volunteers travelled from Libreville to support us. There is room for improvement of course, but overall it was genuinely positive. I say a big bravo to everyone on the organising committee of the festival. 

Why the choice of Danny Sarazin, the director of International Festival of Wildlife and Environmental Film in Morocco to be the patron of this edition?

I wanted a woman in the mould of Kenyan Wangari Muta Maathai who could accompany us and hammer home the message about environmental protection. I searched on Google and Danny Sarazin’s name kept coming up, her profile interested me because she has been organising a festival on environmental problems in Morocco and the world for the past 20 years so she has seen a lot of things. I thought that if she could pass along to us her experiences during these 20 years that it would definitely benefit us. I sent an email as one sends a bottle in the sea. My email had gone by the wayside, but she responded three months later. She was just perfect and that gave us a boost!

Some of the guests who were originally announced did not show up. What happened? 

We had not taken into consideration the administrative aspect, basically. Some people did not have the necessary time to obtain visas; the deadline was too tight. This is the case of Tunisian Habib Ayeb who had to withdraw while at the same time encouraging us. In the first edition, there were no international guests. This was the first time we had to deal with this situation. 

You devoted a “carte blanche” to the French director Jean-Claude Cheyssial. The five documentaries he made ​​on Gabonese spirituality were screened. What motivated you to choose him? 

Jean-Claude Cheyssial has made many films on Gabon. It was important to give a “carte blanche” to a person familiar with Gabon and who came back to give whatever he had received. I thought it would be perfect to give Jean-Claude Cheyssial the opportunity to present his films, to recount his experience as an anthropologist, filmmaker. This could be enriching for us, the Gabonese public, and for the international festivalgoers. Unfortunately, he was not able to come. I hope he can be here for the next edition. The festivalgoers loved his films.

Unlike the first edition, this year you made a call for films. How many did you receive? 

We received thirty films, 18 were selected, in addition to those of Jean-Claude Cheyssial. All of the films selected could not be screened due to the unforeseen limitation of screening venues in the city. 

A film market was planned, as well as workshops and meetings. Why were they cancelled? 

There was a workshop in fact, hosted by François Ako, organized in partnership with the Gabonese Institute of Image and Sound. We realized that it was a bit early to launch the film market, it had been planned first for Gabonese directors, but they withdrew at the last moment, even though they had agreed in principle to the idea. 

What do you plan to do, in fact, to win the confidence of Gabonese film professionals who seem to snub this festival? 

Snub is a big word! At present, I think they do not see where they fit in. There is widespread suspicion of what is new, and we do not have to win over these people. “Culture for everyone” is the objective of our association. And the environment is everyone's business. 

What were some of the difficulties of this edition? 

We had a lot fewer partners than last year. Some roused after the event, better late than never, is it not? This year where it was held, in Franceville, in August, there were at least three screening events organized by other organisations, which we had not expected. It was quite complicated to manage. It's good that there are several festivals or parades in Gabon but what is unfortunate is that in a city like Franceville, that there are several screenings during the same period. These associations did not coordinate their events with ours.

We are not competing; our objective is that the public can enjoy films and that in the end cinema houses are opened. We encourage people to come together to offer the best of Gabonese and international culture since we have the same goal, and not to disperse, having several festivals and multiple screenings in the same country, the same city, during the same period. We need to be logical.

The audience remained rather cautious, how do you intend to garner interest for future editions? 

The public is shy about themes on the environment, I think. But you noticed that when we screened the films of Jean Claude Cheyssial, the public was quite interested; because they were filmed in Gabon, undoubtedly. So we will review our program and with the guidance of Danny Sarazin, our patron, we will increase the environmental initiatives throughout the year.

Is it more difficult to organize a festival dedicated to the environment than a general festival? 

Absolutely. Already, a festival is not a small matter, but on top of it, to have a theme, it's not easy. This is the second edition, but I'm surrounded by a good team. It's very hard, I have learned that sometimes people are full of talk, they promise a lot and in the end, nothing. This festival is like a small niche; but the environment, for me, this is our daily life. It is much healthier to talk about everyday life, what we live on a daily basis. Gabon, Africa, the world, is a beautiful environment that must be protected, and our awareness comes through the image. One gets the impression that it is minute but it is vast. 

In two years, do you feel that this festival has helped raise awareness of the need to protect the environment? 

This year, we were besieged by other images, while the films that we show do not necessarily attract a large public. It will take time, but people are not stupid. I know that little by little, people will appreciate it and understand. At some point, they will say: we want something else, a healthy environment, a clean city, protected forests. I am convinced of that. 

What can we expect now for the next year’s 3rd edition of the festival? 

Already, the filmmakers who were not able to attend will be invited back. The films that were not screened will be re-programmed. This festival is like a baby. Next year it will be 3 years old, it will, hopefully, stand up and walk. 

Interview with Nadine Otsobogo by Stephanie Dongmo, originally published September 14, 2014.

Read also on the African Women in Cinema Blog:

Nadine Otsobogo crée le Festival du Film de Masuku - Nature et environnement | Nadine Otsobogo creates the Film Festival of Masuku - Nature and Environment (Gabon) - 15-17 août 2013 | 15-17 August 2013

Rosalie Ndah, president of CNA Afrique talks about the CNA tribute to women at Fespaco 2013

Interview with Rosalie Ndah, president of CNA Afrique-Cinéma Numérique Ambulant (Mobile Travelling Cinema) and president of CNA Benin by Beti Ellerson in collaboration with Stéphanie Dongmo**, Critique (film critic, writer, journalist, Cameroon Art Critics CAMAC). Translation from French by Beti Ellerson.

UPDATE: Rosalie N'Dah led CNA Afrique from its creation in 2008 to 2015.

 

Could you described the CNA for us? 

The first objective of the Cinéma Numérique Ambulant, known as CNA, is to promote African cinematographic heritage in all of its diversity. It was actually introduced in Africa for the first time in Benin in 2001. During the last twelve years it has progressively expanded to Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Cameroon and Togo. CNA has become a network of associations and the coordination structure, CNA Afrique, is headquartered  in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The CNA is an important cultural tool for communication and entertainment, bringing African films to African populations marginalised by their geographic or socio-economic isolation. It also provides immediate accessibility to the public, giving it both a popular aspect and an educational value. The CNA opens up possibility and access to a collective imaginary,  a source for reflection, and oral testimony and dialogue among the populations regarding different traditional practices and their evolution. 

CNA screenings take place outdoors and are not like other events which are viewed with little reflection before returning home. The CNA encourages the exchange of ideas regarding the world and cultural intermingling among people. In so doing, it cultivates a discerning cinema-going public and participates in the development of African culture.

At the present, CNA consists of eight not-for-profit associations with 15 screening units as well as the coordination structure, CNA Afrique. With twelve years of experience of thousands of screenings, the CNA has brought together nearly twelve thousand spectators. The CNAs work in collaboration with French, Belgian and Swiss corporations, the European Union, the national cinematography directorates, TV5, and RFI. In addition the CNAs have participated in several awareness-building campaigns with decentralised associations, Plan International, UNICEF, Amnesty International, the United Nations Population Fund, the national programmes for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Support Programmes for Cultural Initiatives SPCI (EU), SCAC of the French Foreign Ministry, Rencontres africaines de la photographie (EU), Save the children, The National Programme for the Education of Democratic Citizenship, the Embassy of Canada, the Festival of the Théâtre des réalités, Cannes Festival, Respect, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation CFI etc.…

What are the CNA activities at Fespaco 2013?

Since 2005 the CNA has always participated at Fespaco with various and noteworthy activities. For Fespaco 2013, its activities are as follows: A meeting is scheduled for 24 February for the expansion of the CNA Afrique board. CNA Afrique is opening its board to prominent figures who have supported the CNAs throughout the years, and to respected players in African civil and cultural society. 

To add a special touch to the festival, each evening the CNA network is organising a screening of a film that has been especially popular with the audiences. This event, which is called  "Fespaco Classique", will take place 25 February to 01 March at Maquis le Festival, which since the last Fespaco is called "Village CNA". This is an opportunity to have the participants of each film talk about the context of its creation, the conditions of the film shooting, and the production, etc.

  

The CNA programme facilitators will present the feedback from the spectators of each film screened and African films in general.  They will also give a report on the oral testimonies of the reception of and audience responses to these films.  All of this information is in effect meticulously recorded by the CNA facilitators in a notebook at the end of each outdoor screening.

On 26 February, the CNA will set up a commission of rights holders made up of film professionals: filmmakers, producers, distributors, organisers, cinematographers, and those overseeing authorial rights and copyrights, in order to improve its remuneration policy, and to integrate its economic model into the African cinema economy. The commission will meet every two years in tandem with Fespaco. Its goals are as follows: to evaluate on an annual basis the participation of CNA countries in the remuneration of royalties, depending on the budget of each of the associations; identify the claims of the rights holder; notably those sold to several structures; follow up on the actions of the CNA and its remuneration policy as it relates to the profession; facilitate the affiliation of CNA countries with the rights holder offices of each country; and assist the CNA in networking and maintaining transparency in the profession.

CNA in partnership with AfricaDoc, also has a presence at Fespaco with an evening dedicated to creative documentary filmmaking by women. What are the specifics of this event?

On Friday, 01 March the evening will be dedicated to documentaries by women with the screening of two films. The discussion will be moderated by specialist of the film world: filmmakers, critics and CNA facilitators. Looking to organise an evening around award-winning classics of Fespaco, and noting that, since the creation of the Yennenga Stallion Award in 1972, there has yet to be a woman laureate, CNA wanted to organise an evening around the woman-directed documentary, an especially rapidly growing genre. AfricaDoc, our partner for this event, considers that, as a result of the agility of the digital, there are as many women as men who work in the area of the African documentary. It is particular to Africa, and  in many ways thanks to the training and promotion by Africadoc. Yet, they often remain unrecognised. Evidently, there are exceptions, notably in Burkina Faso where women filmmakers are very visible.

Many women filmmakers are turning towards the documentary rather than to fiction. First of all because the mode of production is much simpler than for a feature fiction; and moreover, because numerous African women documentarians come from journalism. At Fespaco 2009, those who stood on top of the podium for documentaries were all women. It is certainly necessary to take action as it relates to women's place in society, but also there is a willingness to raise the consciousness of the population in terms of traditions (such as lip tattooing in Mon beau sourire | My Beautiful Smile by Angèle Diabang), comportment (such as it relates to virginity in Le prix du sang | The Price of Blood by Anne Elisabeth Ngo Minka) or misconceptions (such as in the Witches of Gambaga by Yaba Badoe) which persist without really being questioned . It is definitely important to bring out the importance of women to fight harder to find a place in all sectors of society by highlighting their creativity, their personality, their intelligence, as well as their willingness to continue onward. To accomplish this it is important to increase considerably the literacy rate among women, especially in Africa. An illiterate society is a society in stagnation, always oriented towards the past. It is time for women to totally commit themselves to filmmaking with passion and determination in order to express their way of seeing the positive and of discerning opportunities, where a man would view it as senseless.  

A woman-directed documentary may show something special and different from what one may find in a film directed by a man. Representations by women are to be encouraged in all sectors of activity in order to better develop society. It is for this reason that the CNA is actively engaged in increasing the visibility of works by women filmmakers and for the dissemination of creative documentaries.

This year, Fespaco is putting women in the spotlight.  A remarkable occasion: all of the juries are presided by women. The large festivals, in fact, are only marginally accessible to women, and this does not happen only in Africa. Last year there was a petition by woman filmmakers to pressure the Cannes Festival to have more films by women in the selection for the Palm d'or.

Even in the history books of African cinema, there is very little mention of women. In spite of the official discourse which pays tribute to women, there is very little impact. Hence the proliferation of women's film festivals. Moreover, until now cinema has been viewed as a man's profession. And the fact that in Africa there are such great difficulties to make a film and to earn a living from it, does not encourage women to enter into it.

Programme of CNA activities at Fespaco

Ai Village CNA at Maquis Le Festival, at 300 metres from Cinéma Neerwaya in Ouagadougou

Sunday 24 February 

Starting at 11h : Meeting of the CNA Afrique Board

Monday 25 February 

10h : CNA Press conference

11h-17h : Studio Digital Mobile Photo

18h30-21h30 : Screening-debate (Fespaco classique)

Theme : tradition/childhood

Yaaba d’Idrissa Ouédraogo (Burkina Faso, 1989, 90')

A partir de 22h : café - concert 

All day : boutique CNA, snack bar-restaurant, exposition CNA, Video Fada 

Tuesday 26 February :

10h-17h : Meeting of the rights boards

10h-17h : Studio Digital Mobile Photo

18h30-21h30 : Projection – débat

Theme : social comedy

Quartier Mozart de Jean-Pierre Bekolo (Cameroun, 1992, 80')

A partir de 22h : café - concert

All day : boutique CNA, snack bar-restaurant, exposition CNA, Video Fada

Wednesday 27 February 

10h-17h : Studio Digital Mobile Photo

18h30-21h30 : screening-debate

Theme : history/colonisation

Tasuma, le feu de Daniel Kollo Sanou (Burkina Faso, 2004, 90')

Starting at 22h : café - concert

All day : boutique CNA, snack bar-restaurant, exposition CNA, Video Fada

Thursday 28 February : 

15h : Press conference of Africalia Belgium, partner of CNA

10h-17h : Studio Mobile Photo Digital

18h : Evening of cinema with Africalia Belgium in Sao village,  45 Km north of  Ouagadougou

18h30-21h30 : Screening-debate 

Theme : migrations

Gito l'ingrat de Léonce Ngabo (Burundi, 1992, 90')

Starting at 22h : café - concert

All day : boutique CNA, snack bar-restaurant, exposition CNA, Video Fada

Friday 1 March

10h-17h : Studio Digital Mobile Photo

18h30-21h30 : Projection – debate 

Special screenings: Women-directed documentaries  

Itchombi by Gentille M. Assih (Togo, 2010, 52') 

Le prix du sang by Elisabeth Anne Ngo Minka (Cameroon, 2010, 26')

Starting at 22h : café - concert

All day : boutique CNA, snack bar-restaurant, exposition CNA, Video Fada

At the Village CNA located at « Maquis Le Festival »

 

*CNA [http://www.c-n-a.org/cna_afrique.html]

**Stephanie Dongmo [http://stephaniedongmo.blogspot.com/]

EN FRANÇAIS

Brigitte Rollet : "African women filmmakers are not visible" interview by Stéphanie Dongmo

                Brigitte Rollet and Sarah Maldoror

Interview by Stéphanie Dongmo, originally published on Le Blog de Stéphanie Dongmo, (28 November) and translated from French to English by Beti Ellerson.

Brigitte Rollet, researcher at the Centre d'histoire culturelle des sociétés contemporaines (CHCSC) Centre for the Cultural History of Contemporary Societies at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in France, organised the Colloquium-Meeting "Francophone African Women Filmmakers: 40 years of cinema (1972-2012), held 23-24 November in Paris at the Quai Branly Museum and the (BnF), the National Library of France.

She talks about the issues that were raised during the meeting and the challenges that women filmmakers face in Africa.

What motivated you to organise the colloquium on 40 years of cinema by Francophone African women filmmakers?

While studying the history of French women filmmakers, I realised that there were the same funding problems and the same problems regarding visual representation. These women filmmakers have always been marginalised in the history books of cinema. There is the fact that women have not been integrated into African cinema. I thought that it was necessary to celebrate these women and trace the emergence of cinema by women in Africa.

Historically, the first woman filmmaker was the Cameroonian Thérèse Sita Bella with her film Tam-tam à Paris in 1963, however the focus was on the Guadeloupean Sarah Maldoror as pioneer. Why this choice?

It is true that there was Sita Bella but the films of Sarah Maldoror and Safi Faye have left their mark. I don't think that the same thing could be said about the film of Sita Bella because it was less known, most people are not even aware of it, I don't even known where to view it, which is also the case for La Passante by Safi Faye. By organising the colloquium in the physical space of the BNF (National Library of France), I wanted to also highlight the problem of preserving a cinematographic cultural heritage by recalling that there are films that have been lost.

What is the history of Francophone African women filmmakers?

It varies from country to country, based on whether there is the political will to promote cinema. But women are always a bit sidelined in cinematic development, especially in societies where one's gender determines whether a woman is behind the camera. When one looks for women, one will find them. I wanted to make this history visible.

What specific problems do Francophone African filmmakers encounter?

Cinema continues to be thought of as a male activity. The fact that there are many women filmmakers does not negate this perception, and African women filmmakers are not visible. There are individual trajectories, and there are developments, but not national cinema policies. In countries where there is a genuine political will to develop a cinema culture, there are more women than in those where this interest does not exist. It is a question of economics. Cinema is a costly art, and producers are even more hesitant to finance a high-budget film directed by a woman. They are only willing to help those who have proven themselves. If one is not able to prove one's ability, it is difficult to justify receiving this kind of funding. This is a situation that African women filmmakers share with numerous women filmmakers in the West.

Around the world women's film festivals are more and more present. Are these specialised festivals a solution?

Women's film festivals are a solution as they provide more visibility for the films. Afterwards the question is whether there is the possibility for these films to continue to exist beyond the festival circuit. And that is the problem with African cinema in general. It is a cinema that is well-financed but is not able to find a place among theatrical releases. This is a global phenomenon. If women's film festivals provide the venues for films to be viewed, this can only have a positive effect for women who make films in Africa.