The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) is one of the largest African film festivals. Its 26th edition will mark 50 years of existence. It takes place every two years in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
Apart from the organization of the festival itself, the public institution responsible for FESPACO also has the role of organizing non-profit projections to rural areas in partnership with NGOs, associations, schools and schools and other public and private institutions; promote African cinema in international festivals and organize various events around the cinema.
The festival was created in 1969 in Ouagadougou at the initiative of a group of film lovers, including François Bassolet, Claude Prieux (Director of the Franco-Voltaic Cultural Center) and Alimata Salembéré who was the first president in 1969 and 1970. At the time, the country was devoid of cinematographic structures and the Voltaic population did not have access to the important quantity of African productions. The initiators therefore wished that, through this festival, the populations could finally see the films of their own continent.
The objective of the festival is:
Forme dynamique, roquette prête à s’envoler vers la victoire. C’est ainsi que le décrit l’artiste qui l’a conçu. Ce monument qui a été bâti en 1987 symbolise les outils de travail des cinéastes : objectifs de caméra, bobines de films, zooms et téléobjectifs. Le monument a été érigé dans le but de rendre hommage aux cinéastes.
La libation organisée à chaque FESPACO (selon la tradition africaine) au pied du monument, est une occasion d’honorer les ancêtres et de demander leur bénédiction. Une occasion également d’honorer ceux qui ne sont plus et qui ont œuvré positivement pour le cinéma africain.