Fifty Years of Women's Engagement at FESPACO

Abstract

Fifty Years of Women's Engagement at FESPACO Beti Ellerson (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution Figure G. Women gather at FESPACO. Courtesy of FESPACO. [End Page 245] Our role as an elder is to transmit our knowledge to the younger ones…I am very happy to see that I am a model for the youth and especially for young girls. Alimata Salambéré at the UNESCO reception at FESPACO in her honor on March 4, 2019 and on February 26 during the launching of the book by Yacouba Traoré about her journey as cinematic and cultural advocate: Alimata Salembéré / Ouedraogo: itinéraire et leçons de vie d'une femme debout [translation from French: Alimata Salembéré-Ouedraogo: the journey and life lessons of a woman of principle]. The words of Burkinabe Alimata Salembéré, as the title of the book dedicated to her work indicate, reflect her seminal role in FESPACO's development, setting the stage for women who follow in her footsteps as cultural workers in the myriad missions of the world of cinema. Her trajectory is indicative of the essential function African women perform as founders, organizers, curators, and stakeholders of film festivals and film-focused events. In addition, her work puts a spotlight on film festival practices and their importance in empowering women in cinema as well as encouraging and developing future women film specialists. Hence, since its inception, FESPACO, as well as the cinema-related structures that it has initiated and supported, play a paramount role in women's empowerment in all sectors of the moving image. The grand prize of FESPACO is in the image of Princess Yennenga, which is very significant. It demonstrates the importance of women in society. To have this prize, the Étalon de Yennenga, is a crowning achievement … Princess Yennenga was the proof of courage and bravery, the proof of endurance … To fight for a woman to obtain the Yennenga is truly a step forward, and it will be for the greater welfare and development of women in general.1 Franceline Oubda [End Page 246] So, "when will a woman receive this honor?" one asks, fifty years since the creation of FESPACO. Every two years, during the weeks before the start of the festival, with journalists abuzz, eager for information on the status of African women in cinema, and in particular their representation at the festival, this question is often posed, along with a catalog of queries regarding African women's accomplishments. My response has always been by way of suggested readings, presenting a list of sources offering a more comprehensive perspective on African women's place in African cinema history. Nonetheless, there appears to be a bit of impatience to peruse this ever-growing research on the timeline of African women in cinema. At the start of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of FESPACO in 2019, a provocative announcement in large letters circulated on social media (in French, hence the translation): Did you know? In the fifty years of FESPACO, the number of Gold Yennengas conferred to: Male filmmakers: twenty-five. Female filmmakers: zero.2 Though the balance sheet was not quite accurate, as the Yennenga was bestowed for the first time in 1972 and not at the first event in 1969. Hence at the start of the twenty-fifth edition in 2019, twenty-three Gold Yennengas had been awarded. To note, the Étalon de Yennenga was the sole grand prize until 2005; during which second and third prizes were established. Hence, the names of the three prizes for feature films: Gold Yennenga, Silver Yennenga and Bronze Yennenga. And while the core of the debate is accurate, that no woman to date has yet to win the Gold Yennenga, I suggest that rather than focusing on how many and why not more, it may be useful to trace the development of African women in cinema and the role that they have played within it, highlighting what they have achieved—as well as to analyze how they have evolved during these past fifty years. A strength-based approach, which I find both empowering and encouraging, also reposes questions that take...