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Article: Breaking the chains of Hollywood.(why Africa's movie industry remains stunted)
- Article from:
- African Business
- Article date:
- April 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 IC Publications Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Paul Michaud, a lecturer for many years at Harvard University on both film and international affairs, attended Africa's paramount biennial film festival, Fespaco in Burkina Faso. Here he describes why the development of African cinema has been retarded.
Burkina Faso is probably the last place in the world where you would think of setting up a film production industry. The landlocked country is one of the poorest on earth. Yet, 30 years ago, Upper Volta, as Burkina Faso was then known, decided to set up an international film festival, Fespaco (Festival panafricain du cinema et de la television de Ouagadougou), which has gone on to become Sub-Saharan Africa's major ...