Burkinabe cinema victim of the coronavirus

Audio 02:26

By: Olivier Rogez Follow

Burkina Faso is known for its pan-African film festival, Fespaco, and also for its flourishing film industry. However, the Covid - 19 coronavirus pandemic has put an end to this industry which the State is trying to support.

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Between the Burkinabè and the cinema, the love story dates back to the 1960s , the capital has many rooms. Rodrigue Rakis Kaboré, producer and director, is also the operator of the Neerwaya cinema. It had to close in mid-March due to a pandemic. “  We have an operating loss, each week, of five to seven million CFA francs for each film that we screen. Without forgetting the extras, that is to say, the rentals, the events that we organize, the concerts and the children's shows that were planned. It's all over,  ”he regrets.

When the rooms are closed, the current productions are stopped. Rodrigue Rakis Kaboré emphasizes that the whole chain of the film will have to be supported. “  It will not only be the cinema operators to support, there will also be distributors, directors, producers. Distributors had already promoted films, some had already arrived in cinemas. All of this was stopped overnight. Obviously, this caused inconvenience to the entire film chain  , "he said.

Aid of over one billion CFA francs for cultural professionals

Aware of the problem, Abdoul Karim Sango, the Minister of Culture, obtained one billion twenty-five million CFA francs for all artists and cultural players, whatever their field. “  No one is forgotten. For example, for the film industry, the directors who had programmed filming and incurred expenses, we are trying to see how to provide them with a subsidy to compensate for the shortfall and losses,  "declared the minister.

One of the problems of the cultural world is to identify all the professionals. The theater comedian and director Etienne Minoungou advocates for a census mechanism that would make it easier to know who to help.

► Also listen: Fespaco, the obstacles of the cinema industry

"  There are undoubtedly databases, here and there, at the Cultural and Tourist Development Fund, at the Burkinabè Copyright Office, there are the different federations, but there is no a general dashboard at the Ministry of Culture which would simply allow a very precise visibility of the ecosystem of cultural and tourist activities in our country,  ”says Etienne Minoungou. Then to add: "  It is a problem, because when a situation like this arises where the president of Faso gives a billion twenty-five million to revive the entire sector, what are the evaluation criteria that allows to determine who and who can benefit from it  ”.

The cinema is one of the showcases of Burkina Faso internationally. A sector whose spinoffs weigh far more than the weight of this industry in national wealth.

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• Burkina Faso
• Fespaco
• Cinema
• Economy Africa
• Culture Africa
• Coronavirus
• Culture