Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso — The 17th edition of Fespaco, the pan African festival of film and television in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - and the largest such event on the continent -- is coming to the end under a cloud, as the organizers prepare for the presentation of awards on Saturday night.
The films and the festival have been somewhat eclipsed by considerable confusion and misunderstandings, missing movies and their directors and the withdrawal - albeit temporary -of a member of the jury that selects the best feature film in competition.
Letebele Masemola-Jones, a South African television executive who works for the commercial station MNET, quit the jury on Thursday night, citing poor organization and repeated cancellations of screenings. Masemola-Jones said she also felt compelled to pull out, because she was dismayed by the failure of Fespaco organizers to screen work by three promising new African directors.
"I guess I was at a point where I was extremely frustrated with a lot of things that were not going the way they should have been going for the film-makers," Masemola-Jones told the BBC. "The central focus for any festival anywhere in the world is the film-makers and their work. I felt that many of them were not getting the respect that they deserved, in terms of the disorganization".
The South African television executive said the reason given by Fespaco representatives, that many film-makers did not send in their movies in advance, as requested, was not a good enough excuse.
"I understand why the film-makers would much rather come with their films themselves, as opposed to sending them via an expensive courier. Many of these film-makers cant afford to do that. They save for two years to get to this event, because it is the greatest event on the African film calendar." The pan African film festival is held in Ouagadougou every other year.
A Tunisian director, Naceur Ktari, who did send his film early and is attending Fespaco, found out belatedly that that his reel arrived on 16 February, but had not been released by customs. The delay meant that his film Hlou Oua Morr (Be My Friend) was finally screened for the first time on Thursday evening, just two days before the awards ceremony.
As with many big events, Fespaco has suffered confusion and misunderstandings in 2001. Organisers have admitted that about forty African film-makers did not make it to Ouagadougou, because of overbooked flights from Europe. Several films in competition have not been screened, as the reels were meant to be hand-carried by the cineastes who never arrived in the Burkinabe capital.
The first Chadian film ever to be short listed for the best film award, Dar es Salam, by director Issa Coelo, was meant to be showing early in the week, but was eventually screened on Friday night after the reel finally reached Ouagadougou. But the filmmaker never made it to Ouagadougou. Coelo was one of those left stranded at Paris airport last week.
Masemola-Jones said she had reconsidered her decision to withdraw from the jury that awards the Yennenga Stallion trophy for best film, because her fellow jurors had convinced her that the festival would suffer if she left.
"On reflection, when I was feeling less angry, I sat down and thought about it rationally and I must say my fellow jurors did succeed in emotionally blackmailing me back into the process," said a more relaxed Masemola Jones, laughing, saying that her colleagues had been persuasive and very sweet.
She said she agreed with them that "the bigger picture is really the films, which is true, and what really matters is the films ... were here for the films and thats the bottom line".
That may be little comfort for the budding African film-makers who had a chance to compete for the Yennenga Stallion, but whose movies have not appeared at Fespaco and may therefore not be considered. Twenty feature films, among them comedies and dramas, are competing for the best film award to be announced on Saturday.
Regional tensions
Masemola-Jones eleventh hour decision to stay in the jury has spared Fespaco one potential scandal. But there is another. A member of a different jury also felt obliged to pull out, but for different reasons. Hanny Tchelly, an actress from Cote dIvoire, who was on a jury in the special prizes category, stepped down when national radio and newspapers in Burkina Faso reported that she had been accused of xenophobia.
Tchelly, who was on the jury of the Prix Special UEMOA - sponsored by the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa - explained her decision to withdraw, saying she did not want to tarnish the image of the institution or ignite passions. Her decision to stand down followed banner headlines in the pro-government daily Sidwaya newspaper in Burkina Faso, describing Tchelly as "Madame Xenophobia". The paper said an artiste should be a model for society and should encourage positive ideas.
The Ivorian actress faces allegations, and considerable indignation in Burkina Faso, that she made xenophobic remarks on radio and television programmes she hosts in Ivory Coast. Tchelly denies this.
Before she left Ouagadougou for Cote dIvoire on Friday night, she told allAfrica.com that she was not xenophobic. "Anyone who knows me, and my ties with Burkina Faso, would never think of calling me xenophobic. Even the Burkinabe are telling me they dont understand whats going on and theyre sorry."
Tchelly said she had hosted a television programme back home, after controversial comments made by the Senegalese president, Abdoulaye Wade, during a racism conference held in Dakar in January, when he said that a Burkinabe in Cote dIvoire faced more tribulations than an African in France.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Wade was referring to recent attacks by Ivorians on West African foreigners, many of whom have lived and worked in Cote dIvoire for generations. Busloads of traumatized Burkinabe packed up and crossed the border back into Burkina Faso after the raids.
Tchelly said she had hosted a show which dealt with the remarks by the Senegalese leader, and that she sincerely regretted if anything she had said had been misinterpreted or had given a mistaken impression. "What I tried to do was to explain what President Wade had said. You know hes a very old man and, in Africa, we respect our elders. But Im sorry, what he said was unacceptable, and we simply tried to explain what we should and should not do, and some people misinterpreted or chose to misinterpret what I said".
"Despite some misunderstandings, Im staying calm," said Tchelly, adding that Burkina Faso remained a country that was close to her heart. "Ive never been political, I dont belong to any political party and I cant let this affect me too much. I still have my convictions and Im going to continue to work".
Tchelly is a well-known personality and regular participant at Fespaco in Ouagadougou and regretted what she described as certain elements trying to politicize a festival which was meant to be a celebration of African film. "My only battle is for African cinema and culture and thats what I came to Ouaga for."
