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Sinar Daily
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sinar Daily
Abidjan dreams of becoming Africa's next cinema hub
RUBINO - In the lush forests north of Abidjan, technicians were busy filming on the set of "Le Testament" ("The Will"), a comedy co-production between Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Senegal. Under a large tree, village elders gathered to discuss the death of a wealthy local cocoa planter. In the film, his children return to their native village and bicker over his inheritance. Franco-Ivorian director Jean-Pascal Zadi speaks during an interview in Abidjan on June 28, 2025. In the shadow of Nigeria's towering Nollywood and its prolific productions, Ivory Coast has been striving to establish itself as an attractive destination for filmmaking on the African continent. (Photo by Issouf SANOGO / AFP) Ivory Coast is hosting an increasing number of local, pan-African and international productions and is striving to establish itself as a go-to film destination in Africa in the face of longtime dominance by Nigeria's thriving Nollywood. According to the Ivorian culture ministry, about 30 films and television series were shot in the country last year. This year, 39 other projects have been approved. Between takes of "Le Testament", production manager Shaidate Coulibaly, 31, said there was a growing number of enthusiastic technicians and filmmakers. "The sector's really developing locally," she told AFP. "The new generation wants to tell stories about their daily life, stories that represent them." "We have people who are able to oversee an entire production without needing to look elsewhere," added Adama Rouamba, the film's Burkinabe director, who has witnessed first-hand how the sector has professionalised. 'Soft power' Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa grower and a regional economic powerhouse, is banking on its youth -- 75 percent of the population is under 35 -- to take its fledgling film sector to new heights. Coulibaly, however, said private investors were still "cautious" and even though she received public funding, she had to fight to secure financing. "The credibility of Ivorian cinema is building up bit by bit, but it's a struggle," she added. The commercial capital Abidjan has been the backdrop of Franco-Ivorian director Philippe Lacote's productions since he began his career in 2022. Lacote just finished filming "Clash" -- about rivalry between stars of the popular coupé-décalé dance music -- in Abidjan and the Congolese capital Kinshasa, using a predominantly Ivorian team. "It wouldn't have been possible a few years ago," he said. Ivory Coast's Minister of Communication, Amadou Coulibaly, said the government was considering setting up specialised programmes in schools and wants to "train all players in the film sector locally". At a major international convention in Abidjan last month, he said he wanted to make Ivory Coast "the hub of audiovisual content on the continent". The stakes are both economic and cultural, particularly with representations of Africa long dominated by Western countries. Earlier this year, Franco-Ivorian director Jean-Pascal Zadi shot part of his movie "Le Grand Deplacement" here, while "Eldorado", a series by Franco-American film producer Alex Berger, was filmed in the lush tropical Banco forest near Abidjan. "It's important for me to contribute to the development of Africa's cultural industry. We need to produce our own stories, quality content," said Zadi, calling local cinema a form of "soft power". His next film, an action movie, will also be shot in Ivory Coast. Vision needed At the National Cinema Office, Adama Konkobo described 2024 as an "exceptional year" and estimated about 20 Ivorian films were screened. In stark contrast, Nollywood -- Nigeria's massive and hugely popular film industry -- released about 2,500. In 2024, Ivorian films made up for about 10 percent of screenings in the country and six percent of the box office. Meanwhile, films produced or co-produced in the United States accounted for 80 percent of the market share, according to the National Cinema Office. "What's missing in the development of local cinema is a clear vision from the authorities," said Lacote, lamenting that the government is focusing on attracting foreign films without adequately financing Ivorian ones. "It creates jobs," he said. "But it doesn't develop national cinema." Coulibaly insisted the political will was there, and highlighted a forthcoming "subsidy mechanism" aimed at young Ivorian talent. Another obstacle to the development of a local film industry has been the country's lack of cinemas, with only 15 movie theatres, nearly all of them in Abidjan. A project to open a new cinema in Bouaké in central Ivory Coast and the arrival last year of Pathé cinemas -- a chain owned by a French film production and distribution company -- in Abidjan could change the dynamic. - AFP
eNCA
24-04-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Ivory Coast opposition struggles to rally protesters
A call by Ivory Coast's main opposition party for protests outside courts on Thursday over the barring of its candidate from this year's presidential election drew only a few hundred supporters, an AFP journalist saw. The government warned it would not permit any unrest and police blocked off access to the courts in Abidjan, the economic capital, and Bouake, the second largest city. On Tuesday, the Abidjan court struck Tidjane Thiam off the electoral list -- a decision that cannot be appealed and rules him out of standing in the October 25 vote. The court said Thiam had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987. His Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) called for nationwide protests. In Abidjan, a march was planned in the morning from the party's headquarters to the courthouse. But only around 200 supporters gathered at the offices before dispersing, an AFP journalist saw. Maria Blanc, a 39-year-old who works in sales, said she was "very disappointed" the march had not taken place. "Every time the party postpones actions, it delays the process of making Thiam the presidential candidate," she said, speaking at the party's offices. No marches were reported in other parts of the country. AFP | Issouf SANOGO Six months before Ivory Coast goes to the polls to elect a new head of state, the call to rally marked a key test for Thiam, a 62-year-old international banker, who is currently in France. "This weak mobilisation is the result of doubt and uncertainty within the PDCI," Ousmane Zina, a political science professor at Bouake University, told AFP. "There is still a long way to go. This is the beginning of a long political march" for him, Zina added. Election periods are often tense in Ivory Coast, where post-election violence in 2010-2011 left around 3,000 dead. But the last decade has seen the richest French-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa and the world's top cocoa producer revert to being a haven of stability in a region marked by coups and jihadist attacks. - Mounting tensions - As well as the court, police blocked off several streets around the PDCI's offices in Abidjan, a city of six million people. "There is no peace in Ivory Coast. There is a situation of tension. There is an anti-democratic situation. There is a denial of democracy," Simon Doho, leader of the PDCI parliamentary party, said on Wednesday. Demonstrations in Ivory Coast require authorisation from the police but this is often refused. AFP | Issouf SANOGO "Disorder will not be tolerated," government spokesman Amadou Coulibaly said after a cabinet meeting. "This is not a threat," he added. "We can consider it a recommendation." Tensions began rising a few weeks ago when other political opposition figures were excluded from the presidential race. They include former president Laurent Gbagbo, who was barred because of a criminal conviction. But tension further mounted after the court's decision closed the door on Thiam running for president. Thiam told AFP in a telephone interview on Wednesday that his party would not put up another candidate for the election. "It's me or no-one," he said, adding he intended to take his case to the court of the west African regional bloc, ECOWAS. "We are going to continue to fight on the ground and to show those in power that this is a decision that is bad for Ivory Coast," he said. - Citizenship law - The Abidjan court based its ruling on article 48 of the nationality code, dating from the 1960s, which states that acquiring another nationality means foregoing Ivorian citizenship. Born in Ivory Coast, Thiam acquired French nationality in 1987 but gave it up in March to stand in the election. His supporters have condemned the ruling as "political" and aimed at barring him from the election but the ruling party says it was not involved in the decision. His legal woes may not be over, however. A court is due to rule on May 8 on another case linked to his nationality. A party supporter has contested his legitimacy as PDCI leader. The ruling party has yet to announce its presidential candidate. President Alassane Ouattara, 83, in power since 2011, has said he is eager to "continue serving my country". By Marietou B And Christophe Parayre
