- BACKGROUND
The Guest of Honour for each FESPACO edition is chosen based on the cultural cooperative relationships the country has with Burkina Faso and its commitment to the development of the African film and audio-visual industry. This choice also takes account of the opportunities this country may offer in terms of economic and cinematographic coproduction partnerships.
For the 29th Edition of FESPACO taking place from 22 February to 01 March 2025, the Republic of Chad has been proposed by the authorities of Burkina Faso to be the focus of this large cinematographic event as the Guest of Honour.
Indeed, a delegation of government officials and film professionals from Chad visited Burkina Faso in July 2023. The purpose of this visit was to interact with the authorities of Burkina Faso and to explore avenues for appointing Chad as Guest of Honour for the 29th Edition of FESAPCO. The Chadian delegation had many working sessions with authorities from Burkina Faso including the Minister for Culture, the General delegate of FESPACO, the Director of ST-CNC and some Burkinabe film professionals.
This official visit has eventually paid off since the highest authorities of Burkina Faso approved the choice.
- RATIONALE
The reasons behind the choice of the Republic of Chad as Guest of Honour include:
- a demonstrated political will of the highest Chadian authorities to be part of the 29th Edition of FESPACO as the Guest of Honour.
- Chad is a country known for its vibrant cinematic culture with renowned filmmakers, Mahamat Haroun Saleh, Edouard Sailly, Issa Serge Coelo, Zara Mahamat Yacoub, and Aché Coelo to name a few, who have made blockbuster films promoting African cultural identities. The film « Lingui ou liens sacrés », Cannes Film Festival 2021 Competition in France, by director Mahamat Haroun Saleh, stands as an example;
- Chad has chosen Burkina Faso as a training hub for its officials. Every year hundreds of Chadians, students and professionals, apply to Universities and major graduate schools, including the Highest Institute of Image and Sound– School-Studio (ISIS-SE) for those embarking on a film career;
- Chad is a favourite destination for many Burkinabe film technicians. Indeed, Chadian producers make regular use of technicians from Burkina Faso on their film sets;
- Cultural similarities between both peoples. Also known as the Sahel States, Chadian and Burkinabe peoples share the same cultural values both in real life and on the small screen;
- Security and humanitarian challenges. Burkina Faso and Chad are facing similar challenges and cinema could provide an avenue for working out common and sustainable solutions against terrorism in the Sahel;
- Positive impacts in prospect. This collaboration could be an opportunity to strengthening partnerships in terms of cultural cooperation and coproduction agreements between both countries benefiting professionals of the film and audio-visual industry in particular.
