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Since the biannual Pan-African Film and
Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) was last held in
2021 the West African country has had to deal with the political
fallout from two coups within eight months and spiralling
violence driven by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
The festival's delegate-general, Alex Moussa Sawadogo, said
Burkina Faso had been dealing with the insecurity for several
years, but it remained important to show that culture and its
people continue to exist.
"Organising an event like FESPACO is to show the world that
Burkina Faso is a country that wants to continue writing stories
of world cinema," he told Reuters.
In total, 170 films are being screened, including 15 feature
films and about 30 short films in competition.
In the feature films category, movies from 13 countries are
competing, including the movie Sira, directed by homegrown
talent Apolline Traoré.
If successful, the Burkinabe director would be the first female
filmmaker to win the Golden Stallion award.
Her movie tells the story of a young woman abandoned in the
desert who decides to stand up to a group of terrorists.
"I live in a country that is suffering ... I am not a
politician, I am not in the army either, I have only my art to
express myself and it was a way for me to participate in this
fight against terrorism," Traoré said.
The conflict blighting the Sahel region south of the Sahara took
root after a Tuareg rebellion in Mali in 2012. Despite costly
international efforts to contain it, the insurgency has spread
to neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso and Niger,
killing thousands of people and driving over 2 million from
their homes.
(Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian;
Editing by David Gregorio)
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