New AU statute to boost African cinema industry

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This renewed effort will have following benefits a robust audiovisual and cinema industry capable of projecting a positive image of Africa

There is a general consensus that African cinema isn’t where it is supposed to be given the number of stories that are there to be told, yet very few of these stories make the mark at continental level.

Many observers admit that it is an industry in crisis, from the names that have been adopted for national productions such as Bongo movies which present an identity crisis to the budgetary crisis that it faces.

On many occasions African cinema has only hit the global scale when produced by foreign producers who tell the stories in their own lenses.

As Dexter Davis an American Film producer pointed out at the Zanzibar International Film Festival in July, there is nothing like a film industry in Africa.

“You cannot claim to have an industry without enough screens where the films can be shown because that is the only way you can recoup the investments,” he pointed out then.

Though it continues to operate informally, the audiovisual and cinema industry account for $5 billion of the continent’s GDP, employing an estimated 5 million people.

With the current push for its development, the industry is expected to grow to over 20 million jobs and US$20 billion in annual GDP contribution.

This week ministers of in Nairobi African Union member states ministers of Youth, Culture and sport endorsed the Draft Statute of the African Audiovisual and Cinema Commission (AACC).

The AACC was established in June 2016 in Addis Ababa Ethiopia as a specialized agency of the African Union. The Ministers also approved establishment of the AACC Temporary Secretariat in Nairobi, Kenya.

The establishment and the endorsement of the statutes is the result of concerted efforts led by the Government of Kenya which also hosts the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI), the African Union Commission (AUC).

The statute has been endorsed by leading film producing countries including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe among others.

Establishment of AACC was first called for by the AU Executive Council in Maputo, Mozambique some 14 years ago.

The African Audiovisual and Cinema Commission (AACC) will be responsible for the promotion of the rapid development of the African audiovisual and cinema industry and shall encourage creation of appropriate structures at the national, regional and continental levels; strengthen cooperation between African States in the area of audiovisual and cinema; and promote the use of audiovisual and cinematic expressions as factors of job creation, integration, solidarity, respect of values and mutual understanding in order to foster peace, a positive image of Africa, and prevent conflicts.

The AACC is part of a 4 programme ecosystem that is mobilizing US$410 million in programme funds for the promotion of this industry over the next five years. These resources will be raised from both the private and public sector and will be implemented primarily by the private sector.

The National Governments and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) shall have the responsibility of incorporating sectoral activities of the audiovisual and cinema industry into their economic and social priority strategies to give the right signals for resource mobilisation.

The meeting also took note of FEPACI’s proposal on Regional Centres of Excellence in Film Production and Post-Production for the promotion and development of the audiovisual and cinema sector in Africa.

Members were requested to support the creation of these centres across the continent to enhance production of more quality films.

It also took note of the initiative by FEPACI and AUC to develop cinematic expressions on African Union’s Agenda 2063 that will encompass all players in cinema production.

The Pan African Federation of Filmmakers which was founded in 1969, is the voice of the African Filmmaker.

The FEPACI Secretariat moved to Kenya in 2013 and began its work of facilitating, strengthening, and promoting the interests of the African Filmmaker through creation of structures and programme.