The opening day of the first ever African Film Summit, running from 3 to 6 April in Tshwane, South Africa, gave rise to a number of questions on how to develop and unify the continent’s film industry.
In his address to the large number of delegates which included some of the most legendary names in African cinema such as Med Hondo, Haile Gerima and Sarah Maldoro, SA Minister of Arts & Culture Dr Z Pallo Jordan tasked the Summit with finding answers for the following questions: Who are we making films for? How will we ensure our films reach those audiences? How can we grow our industry in a continent that is mostly third world? Why should we look elsewhere for technicians and actors for local roles? How many treaties are there in Africa? How many broadcasters are equipped with the latest technology?
“We don’t want to be dependent on others because we know what dependency results in. This Summit must emerge with a network that will help develop the continent’s industry, using African resources,” stated Dr Jordan.
Other questions that arose during the day were how will Africa meet technological challenges and the digital divide? Also at the forefront of delegates’ minds was how African cinema can retain its cultural values while countries on the continenet simultaneously have to deal with the general problems of economics, health and war.
Inspired by a declaration made by the African Union (AU) in 2003, the Summit was organised by SA’s Department of Arts & Culture and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF). See May issue of Screen Africa for in-depth report.
