LAFF held a seminar about FESPACO book by Colin Dubré , moderated by Aly Aboushady with the presence of Gnama Henri Bacye, Burkina Faso Ambassador to Egypt, Head of FESPACO Adriouma Soma, Senegalese critic Thierno Ibrahima and the book author.
Aboushady started by explaining the book importance among book revolving around festivals’ history. FESPACO, being one of the most important African film festivals, is connected to the sociopolitical changes throughout history in Burkina Faso and how the festival is placed on top of the state’s plan throughout the years since 1972.
Aboushady also added that he considers that this book is a deep research document. He also hoped that an Egyptian critic can create one day another similar book about Cairo Festival.
Dubré, the book author, also revealed that he completed the book in four year without no intentions of making a political book. But the more he researched in Burkinabe history, the more he discovered the correlation of FESPACO to the state of Burkina with as Pan-African vision.
Ibrahima also shed the lights on the importance that FESPACO hold for critics since its first edition and also quoted the head of African Federation of Film Critics who said that a film dies if it not criticized or written about.
Gnama Henri Bacye, Ambassador of Burkina Faso to Egypt, also intervened by revealing that he haven’t read the book yet but he grew up knowing about FESPACO since his childhood that is not a festival only but also a political event. He also thanked LAFF for receiving FESPACO and Burkina Faso as guest of honor, which will be the milestone for more collaboration between Egypt and whole Africa.
Ardiouma Soma, FESPACO head, stated that FESPACO began as an idea between African filmmakers who wanted to reach out for audience across the streets because African films used to play only in French Centers.
