Two partners in the cinema and audiovisual sector in DRC benefited from the mobility grant under the PPA 22-26 to attend Fespaco. They were Haissetu Sembunu Bianca, Cultural Exchange and Communication Manager at Yolé ! Africa, and Fabien Mweze, a member of 3TAMIS. They were accompanied by 10 Pasacc-bu program grantees
They all took advantage of this opportunity to network and meet professionals in the sector for the benefit of their respective programs.
Discover the feedback of Haissetu Sembunu Bianca, member of Yolé ! Africa, and Justine Bitagoye, a grantee of the Pasacc-Bu program.
"At first, it was a bit challenging because it’s a vast world. You don’t know anyone, and nothing is planned in advance for you. You have to seek out meetings and target interesting people for the work we do at Yolé ! Africa. It took me one or two days, but then I started meeting more than 10 people, including producers and directors, with whom I had interesting discussions.
My focus was on our training program, Alternative to TV, supported in particular by Africalia. In this program, we involve film professionals to provide various training sessions. I also watched films with a view to programming screenings for the program ; the Ishango meetings dedicated to reimagining the place of art in the contemporary world.
At Yolé ! Africa, we also support young people who make films. Being at Fespaco was an opportunity to find ways of distributing these films.
Participating in this festival really opens you up to the world, to the pan-African world. This mobility grant allowed me to position our work in relation to what is being done elsewhere in Africa and to establish bridges between structures for future collaborations. Thank you Africalia !"
Justine Bitagoye is a Burundian journalist and filmmaker. According to her, Fespaco is a significant vector for the creation and distribution of African cinema. "It’s an honor to be able to participate thanks to Africalia through the Pasacc-bu project. This mobility opportunity allowed me to broaden my horizons because as a film professional in Burundi, we don’t have the opportunity to create a network, to dialogue with other creatives and visit cinemas. We are not used to going to the cinema like Burkinabe people who fill their cinemas. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to present a documentary here in Ouagadougou, and it was a rediscovery for me, it allowed me to reconnect with filmmakers with whom I had lost all contact. I noticed the giant step that had taken place between us, but it pushes me to come back in 2025 with something to present."
