It is with great sadness that we learnt this morning of the passing of the doyen of African cinema, Mr Ousmane Sembene, who sadly passed away this past weekend. Mr Sembene was the father of African cinema and certainly one of the few remaining African griots whose legacy will forever be studied by film scholars for years to come. In his lifetime, Mr Sembene was a great inspiration to many South African filmmakers who only got exposed to his works after the liberation of South Africa. We were saddened that Mr. Sembene could not take part in the African Film Summit which was held in South Africa in 2006 due to ill health.

It is without doubt that the legacy of Mr. Sembene and Uncle Lionel Ngakane is still with us as we continue to fight for the unity of African filmmakers through Fepaci. It is also sad that Mr Sembene leaves us at the time when the Film Resource Unit through which his works was introduced to the broader South African filmmaking population is in a state of collapse. We hope that his works will continue to inspire us to continue to ensure that African cinema lives in our homes, villages, our cities and most of all our minds.

Akuhlanga Lugehlanga, Robala ka kgotso, Tau Tona (Rest in Peace – the Great Lion).

Message of Condolence from SABC Content Hub.

The SABC Content Hub would like to express our heartfelt and collective condolences to the family, colleagues and countrymen of the late Ousmane Sembene.

The African continent has lost a great mind, a striding intellectual and cultural force, and a visionary that was able to express our struggles with true agency, authenticity and strength.

We as a broadcaster will mourn together with the Senegalese people and the world’s film community, this loss of one of our finest storytellers and dream weavers on screen.

But in keeping alive his memory we will also remain committed to championing the ethos of truth, expression of our identities and the final liberty of all Africans which Ousmane Sembene’s work represents and has contributed to our collective upliftment as a people.

We will remember your spirit, outspokenness and courage as a filmmaker and cultural warrior.

Aluta continua to one of the one of the greatest authors of sub-Saharan Africa and a founding father of African film, fighting racism, oppression and injustice. We salute you!