AFRICAphonie

AFRICAphonie Trains Organisations on Monitoring, Documenting and Reporting Human Rights Violations

Violations of human rights are major challenges confronting the Cameroonian nation. These violations come in many forms including torture, domestic violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, sexual assault, land theft, girl trafficking, adultery, arson, extra-judicial killings, female genital mutilation, breast ironing among others. An increase in violent conflict and the instability that it creates is often linked to an increase in violations of human rights.
Presently Cameroon faces a number of destabilizing factors including the Boko Haram crisis in the North region, refugee influx in the East region from Central African Republic, but most especially the protracted insurgency in the North West and South West regions. But beyond this big picture of the political human rights situation in the two regions lie an avalanche of socio-economic and cultural violations that sometimes does not have much attention and visibility.

AFRICAphonie publishes a Manual on Conservation Reporting

AFRICAphonie has just published a 32 page Guide on Conservation Journalism. The Guide is a compendium of presentations done during a 3 day workshop titled “Building Capacity for Conservation Coverage: The Earth Journalism Network Approach."

The Main Aim was to train 30 community radio broadcasters on how to identify, collect, translate in Pidgin English and disseminate best conservation practices and related issues within their communities. Its objectives included:

• Build capacities of community radio journalists to raise public awareness on biodiversity and conservation issues using Pidgin English.
• Strengthen community media institutions with the knowledge of the fundamental role that environmental awareness plays in their work.
• Design and publish a skills handbook on Conservation that would help community radio Journalists carry out their work and train others who could not be invited to the workshop.

Media Practitioners in Cameroon Learn Techniques On Reporting Conservation

By Imma Mkong

Community media practitioners in Cameroon have taken up the responsibility of educating the public on conservation issues through specialised programs produced in a language more familiar to them; Pidgin English.
The over 30 journalists from media organs in the Western Highlands Region of the country took the commitment recently in Buea, Southwest Region, after a three-day capacity building workshop on conservation coverage, organised by a Cameroonian based development organization; AFRICAphonie, in partnership with the Earth Journalism Network (EJN).

[Documentary] Remix. Africa in Translation: Cameroon

Remix. Africa in Translation: Cameroon
A five-part documentary series from the former German colonies
by: Nadja Ofuatey-Alazard & Nicolas Grange

The Cameroonian port city of Douala was one of the first places where German representatives signed so-called "protectorate treaties" with local rulers. Cameroon became an important venue for the transatlantic enslavement trade. What role does the colonial past play for the African present? This is the central question of the ReMIX project, for which the producer Nadja Ofuatey-Alazard and the director Nicolas Grange traveled to former German colonies on the African continent.

Includes an interview with George Ngwane of AFRICAphonie.

Leadership Essay Competition 2018

Deadline: 18 May 2018
Open to:  all African citizens between the age of 18 – 25 years old
Award: grand prize of USD 2,000

African citizens between the age of 18-25 are invited to submit an essay for this year’s Leadership Essay Competition organized by UONGOZI Institute.

The competition aims to provide a space for the youth of Africa and the next generation of leaders in the region to contribute to important discussions on leadership.

The competition is open to all African citizens between the age of 18 – 25 years old, to write about their perspectives on leadership as it relates to financing development and transformation in Africa. The essays should respond to the following question:

“If you were an African leader how would you finance development and transformation?”

All essays must be written in English.

AFRICAPhonie Launches Human Rights Guide for Radio Practitioners

About this Guide (Click here to download)
The United Nations Human Rights Council in its Resolution 24/15 of 8 October 2013 decided that promoting human rights training for media professionals should be the target for the third phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2015 -2019). This has not been the case in Cameroon especially with community radio practitioners who cannot gain complete access to training and empowerment of human rights related issues.
The situation is made worse by an already information-poor rural community whose high rate of illiteracy prevents them from reading newspapers, which are sometimes unavailable or too expensive for the people to buy Yet, human rights awareness has in the last couple of years become a critical issue in rural communities in the North West and South West Cameroonian regions with media reports attesting to the fact that more and more people living in rural areas are trapped in court proceedings for human rights related crimes like domestic violence, gender-based violence, land theft, human trafficking, sexual harassment, arson, female genital mutilation, breast ironing etc. The victims often complain of ignorance of the law whereas no one is supposed not to know the law. Due to the radio’s ability to reach a wide audience simultaneously, it is important to use it to educate the rural communities about the relevant national and international laws, which mostly exist in Cameroon in English and French, -languages not easily understood by the grassroots.

Training community radio broadcasters on human rights awareness in Cameroon using Pidgin English

Following a Grant from the Canadian Funds for Local Initiative, AFRICAphonie organised a 3 day training workshop aimed at empowering 30 community radio broadcasters on human rights awareness programmes using Pidgin English.
The workshop took place from 10 to 12th November 2017 in Eta Palace Hotel Buea under the theme ‘training community radio broadcasters on human rights awareness in Cameroon using Pidgin English’.

25 participants arrived and lodged on Thursday 9th November 2017 by 2 pm while 5 more came late for various reasons ranging from transport difficulties to lack of information because of internet inaccessibility. 3 of the late comers joined the workshop on Friday 10th November during the afternoon session and 2 during the morning session on Saturday 11th November 2017.

Cameroon: Winners of the 2015 Investigation Journalism Awards Announced

The Winners of the  of the 2015 Investigative Journalism Awards of the British High Commission have been announced.

The first prize went to Mr. Snowsel Ano Ebie of CRTV, second prize to Mr. Amindeh Blaise Atabong of the Guardian Post Newspaper and third prize to Mr. Eugene Ndiboti Nforngwa of the Standard Tribune and Mr. Moki Edwin Kindzeka of CRTV.

The jury offered a special prize to the only Television entry submitted by Ms. Mimi Mefo, of Equinox TV. A special prize was also awarded to  Ms. Elizabeth Enanga Mokake Epse Mafany for the best female entry, and to Mr. Pierre Celestin Atangana of Le Quoutidien Mutations for the best Francophone entry.

Speech by AFRICAphonie Representative at Investigative Journalism Competition Award Ceremony

Presentation by LAMNTANG* JESSE KONANG, Rapporteur of the 2015 British High Commission Sponsored Investigative Journalism Competition on the occasion of the Prize Award Ceremony on 31st March 2016 in Yaounde under the Auspices of the British Commissioner to Cameroon H.E. BRIAN OLLEY.

All Administrative and Diplomatic Protocol Respected, Fellow Media Practitioners, Ladies and Gentlemen. I like, first of all, to convey to you heartfelt greetings from the Management of AFRICAphonie-Cameroon, especially those of the Executive Director, Mwalimu George Ngwane, who originally loved to be among us today but could not because he is away in London as a Commonwealth   Professional   Fellow   tenable   at   the   Minority   Rights   Group   International,   London.  He has therefore mandated me to make this presentation, on behalf of AFRICAphonie-Cameroon, at the instance of this ceremony, which crowns the 2015 edition of the National Investigative Journalism Competition.

Ladies and Gentlemen, AFRICAphonie-Cameroon heartily thanks British High Commission, Cameroon, for granting her the opportunity   of   implementing   her Cameroon Investigative Journalism Project   to   pep   up   investigative   journalism,   which   is   yet   to   take firm root in Africa,   in   general,   and   Cameroon,   in particular.   We pray   for   the partnership to grow even stronger and larger, for the sake of good bilateral relations between Britain and Cameroon.

AFRICAphonie’s Campaign on Protecting Mangrove Trees

Inhabitants of the small village of Mukuru in Tiko subdivision have created a “Save Mangrove Mushroom Farmers Group” as a measure to curb the irrational exploitation of the Mangrove trees in their locality.

This took place on 4th November 2015 on the heels of an “Operation Save Mangrove Trees Campaign” and the farming of mushroom training workshop as an alternative to fish dependency in the area.

Investigative Reporting Award Submission Deadline Extended to 30 November 2015

Are you a journalist with a story that exposes corruption, human rights abuse or misuse of power in the public and private sectors in Cameroon? Then this Investigative Reporting Competition is for you.

Introduction

An Investigative Reporting (Journalism) Award 2015 has been launched with journalists invited to submit entries in English or French on Investigative Reporting with focus on Human Rights and Governance in Cameroon (stories that break new ground and expose corruption, human rights abuse or misuse of power in the public and private sectors).

Background

The British High Commission has, since 2012, conceived a project called Investigative Journalism Award to support an improved and responsible press that will strengthen the foundations of freedom of expression in Cameroon.  The award runs a competition open to all journalists working in Cameroon. The competition gives awards to top three journalists who produce the best investigative journalism pieces on one or both themes: “Corruption or Human Rights”. 

This year’s (2015) award is being implemented by AFRICAphonie-Cameroon.

Eligibility

The award is open to all journalists of the print and audio-visual media who are either freelancers or are employed by a local media organization in Cameroon.

Proceedings of AFRICAphonie-sponsored Seminar on Investigative Reporting

Within the framework of promoting responsible investigative journalism, AFRICAphonie-Cameroon, supported by British High Commission, Cameroon, recently launched a call for journalists throughout Cameroon to attend by application-procedure a one-day seminar in Buea on the matter.

Of the 46 entries, 16 journalists (eight females and eight males) from all categories of media platform throughout the country were selected based on the strength of their motivational letters (applications) and locations (favouring a wide geographical spread), female journalists’ affirmative actions, media organ diversity, media platform plurality.

Click here to read or download the proceedings of the seminar on investigative reporting.

Call for Submissions: Investigative Reporting Workshop & Invesitigative Journalism Award

AFRICAphonie and the British High Commission in Cameroon to organize an investigative reporting workshop and launch the 2015 Invesitigative Journalism award.

1.    INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING WORKSHOP

Media practitioners in Cameroon wishing to attend a Workshop on Investigative Reporting organized by AFRICAphonie-Cameroon with support from British High Commission are invited to send a Motivation Letter stating in not more than 50 (fifty) words why they wish to attend the workshop and how they will use the knowledge and skills acquired.  The Motivation Letter should be sent to the e-mail address investigation94@yahoo.com on or before 30th September 2015 before noon. Only 16 (sixteen) participants shall be selected.  Female journalists are encouraged to apply.

2.    INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM AWARD

AFRICAphonie Wins Award as Best Civil Society Organisation of the Year

Following a poll organised by The Scoop Media Group for Cameroonians to cast their votes online for "2014 The Scoop Civil Society Organisation of the Year Award" AFRICAphonie was selected as the Laureate.

The Award was presented AFRICAphonie's Executive Director, George Ngwane, on May 3rd 2015 (World International Press Freedom Day) at Elongo Gardens Hotel, Kumba, SWR Cameroon under the distinguished patronage of the Turkish Ambassador to Cameroon, Senator Nfon Mukete Victor , Government Delegate of Kumba City Council and a host of media practitioners and guests.

Ms Sheila Ekukole
Project Officer and Gender Equality Adviser, AFRICAphonie

AFRICAphonie Staff

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chairperson
Secretary
Financial Officer

OFFICE STAFF
Executive Director: George Ngwane
Project Officer and Gender Equality Adviser: Ms Sheila Ekukole
Administrative Assistant: Ms Cynthia Oben
Communications Officer: Hansel Masango
Youth Programme Officer: Jocelyne Nzele
Accounts Officer: Emma Vunya

AFRICAphonie Participates at 2014 African Creative Economy Conference, Morocco

AFRICAphonie was one of the African civil societies that participated at the just ended 2014 African Creative Economy Conference in Rabat, Morocco from 13th-15th November 2014.

Represented by its Executive Director, George Ngwane who is also a Member of the Cultural Policy Task Group in Africa, Thursday 13th of November was the official debut of the African Creative Economy Conference 2014, which ran at the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat until the 15 of November.

The State and Future of Freedom of Artistic Expression in Cameroon

By Mwalimu George Ngwane

Freedom of Expression by Cultural Practitioners is getting more and more stifled in Cameroon.  In November 2013, more than 1000 musicians gathered in an elective Assembly within their Association called Cameroon Music Association (in French SOCAM) and voted overwhelmingly for their President, composer and musician Ndedi Eyango.  Only two weeks in office as the newly elected President, Ndedi was dismissed by the Minister of Art and Culture (supervisory authority of SOCAM) on the grounds that  Ndedi Eyango has double nationality (American/Cameroonian). It is alleged that the Minister had her preferred candidate who lost the elections.  In spite of consultations by musicians to get Ndedi Eyango back as President, the Minister has dug her heels in and there is presently a legal battle between Ndedi Eyango and the Minister.

CELEBRATION OF 2014 WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY: AFRICAphonie Advocates New Laws on Press Freedom and Access to Public Information in Cameroon

Within the framework of enhancing Press freedom and access to Public information in Cameroon, the international Civil Society Organisation, AFRICAphonie, supported by the British High Commission-Cameroon, recently carried out a project titled “Press Freedom and Policy Advocacy in Cameroon”.

The 2013 Project provided forums (workshops) for journalists to advocate change in certain grey areas of Law No. 90/052 of 19/12/1990 relating to Freedom of Mass Communication in Cameroon as well as Law No. 96/04 of 04/01/1996 supplementing and completing certain provisions thereof, to better expand press freedom, deepen journalistic quality and responsibility, improve the impact of government-media relations and enhance media effectiveness in serving public interest.

Media Stakeholders press for Freedom to Information Act

By Atia Tilarious Azohnwi (The Sun newspaper, Cameroon)

Media stakeholders and journalists are pressing for government to implement a law that will make access to public records and other information of public concern freely accessible in Cameroon.

Over 25 journalists and media practitioners expressed the need for a freedom to information act during a workshop on Friday 22^nd November 2013 in Buea, championed by the pan-African Non-Governmental Organisation, AFRICAphonie, with funds from the British High Commission in Cameroon.  The media brainstorming forum was moderated by ace-journalist and civil society activist, Victor Epie Ngome.

Increasing Cameroon CSOs’ Capacity in Influencing Policy Change through Advocacy

By Jesse KONANG

Advocacy is a powerful tool in a country’s governance process that inspires and motivates the different stakeholders (individuals, communities, the government) to take desired actions on topical public-related issues.

This constituted the theme of  a three-day training workshop that AFRICAphonie, supported by the British Council-Cameroon, recently organised in Buea for leaders of some thirty civil society organisations (CSO) and media practitioners operating in the area.

THE PLIGHT OF THE CAMEROON TEA ESTATE WORKERS IN BUEA

PRESS RELEASE

AFRICAphonie, a Buea based civil society organisation interested in Democracy, Culture and Peace,

Having listened with attention to the grievances of the workers of the Cameroon Tea Estate in Buea,

Having noticed with empathy their peaceful sit-down strike for the last one and a half months at the premises of the Regional Delegation of Labour and Social Security, Buea, South West Region,

Having seen with compassion, the despicable conditions under which the more than 700 workers have taken ‘refuge’ at the said premises,

Having followed with concern their threat to invite their children to join them in the sit down strike with the attendant consequences that this may have on the peace, serenity and social security in Buea,

Reporting Conflict: Border Crises and Elections: A Journalist’s Guide

By Jesse Konang

This Guide summarises the deliberations of  a workshop on “Reporting Conflict: Border Crises and Elections in Cameroon” organized by AFRICAphonie-Cameroon, with support from British High Commission to Cameroon, from 24^th to 26^th August, 2011 at Eta Palace Hotel, Molyko-Buea, South West Region, Cameroon. It was moderated by the Manager of the South West Regional Station of CRTV, Bernard Eko.

The aim of the workshop was to increase the professional and ethical soundness in the journalists covering border, election and ethnic conflicts in the country as well as strengthen networking among the news media.

Buea: Les journalistes cogitent sur le reportage des conflits et élections

Écrit par Pierre Alexis Kaptchouang (La Nouvelle Expression)

En trois jours, les hommes de média se sont affûtés pour leur rôle dans la préservation de la paix en temps de conflits et des élections.Ils sont venus de tous les coins de la rejoins du Sud – ouest pour prendre part à la session de réflexion et de renforcement des capacités pour un reportage responsable en périodes d’élections, et durant les conflits. C’était à la faveur d’un séminaire atelier organisé par l’ONG locale Africaphonie sous le thème « le reportage des conflits : Crises frontaliers et Election », sous le patronage du British council.

Media Practitioners Trained on Conflict, Election Reporting

Media practitioners and stringers from the South west and Littoral regions, have been trained on better ways of reporting conflicts emanating from elections and border crisis in Cameroon.
 
A workshop to that effect, took place recently in Buea, organized by a Buea-based non governmental organization, AFRICAphonie, with support from the British High Commission, Yaounde.

Art and Culture Journalism Workshop in Cameroon

Official Opening of International Workshop on Reporting Arts & Culture in Cameroon

Date: March 21 – 23 2011

Venue: Hotel Residence Carlos, Muea road, Buea

Organiser: AFRICAphonie – Cameroon

Sponsorship: Commonwealth Foundation, London

At the official opening of the three-day international workshop, convener, George Ngwane explained the rationale, saying, AFRICAphonie and the Commonwealth Foundation were out to build the capacity and remind art journalists it is their responsibility to showcase the artist.

AFRICAphonie Brings Arts and Culture Reporting to Light

By Scholar Maloke (The Star newspaper, Cameroon, March 28th 2011)

Arts and culture in Cameroon, has never been given the place it deserves.  Though some journalists endeavour to write articles about arts and culture or cover cultural events, the articles are hardly given spotlights and most at times are replaced with other news items.
 

In a bid to bring arts and culture reporting which is a very viable industry into limelight, the Director of a Pan-African non-governmental organisation known as AFRICAphonie, Mwalimu George Ngwane, with support from the Commonwealth Foundation, organised a three day workshop in Buea on Arts and Culture Journalism in Cameroon.

Bottom-up Peace and Development Plan mapped out in Bakassi

By Nana Walter Wilson

Peace Committee members of the Bakassi peninsula have come out with neighbourhood peace and bottom-up development plans of their respective communities in Bakassi, which with the assistance of their Municipal Councils and other Development partners would be realised in the immediate, mid and long term duration.
 
Committee members mapped out this plan during a workshop held in Mundemba on 24th and 25th February 2011 organised for the Bakassi Peace committee members by AFRICAphonie with support from the British High Commission, Cameroon.

Nigerian Consul-General Dr. Kenneth Nsor: “Cameroon-Nigeria amity... is regulated by the values of a cherished sovereignty"

 By Jesse Konang (Published in Bakassi Peace Newsletter of November 2010)

The Federal Republic of Nigeria with an area of 923,768 square kilometres, 36 states, 774 local government councils, and 250 distinct languages is situated in West Africa. She is the most populous country in Africa and the World’s most populous Black nation with a population estimate of 140 million citizens (2006 census).  

In Nigeria’s relationship with her neighbours, Cameroon, which borders her to the east, occupies a special position, according to the Consular Guide of the Consulate-General of Nigeria in Buea.  This is especially so in view of the many years of verbal vituperation, military and legal manoeuvres over the ownership of the oil-rich land and sea reserves in the Bakassi area.  The October 2002 International Court of Justice Decision facilitated the withdrawal of Nigeria from Bakassi on 14th August, 2008, through the instrumentality of the Nigeria-Cameroon Mixed Commission and the Greentree Accord. 

Bakassi Citizens Trained on Peace Building

By Solomon Tembang with Africaphonie team in Bakassi

Three training workshops on enhancing peace building capacities especially among youths in the Bakassi peninsula took place in Bamusso, Kombo Itindi, and Idabato from the 28th November to 3rd December 2010.
Participants at the Bamusso Workshop

Supported by the Challenge Bid of the British High Commission, Yaounde and implemented by AFRICAphonie, the workshops were aimed at providing the citizens in Bakassi peninsula with the skills of early warning signals of conflict and establishing the intricate link between peace and development so as to eventually produce a home grown, bottom-up Peace and development Plan for their different communities.

Bakassi Peace Letter: Peace Through Culture

 

Bakassi Women as Weavers of Peace Through Culture

By Jesse Konang*

In commemoration of Cameroon’s regained territorial authority over the Bakassi Peninsula, AFRICAphonie, supported by Prince Claus Fund, last 14th August organized an all female cultural jamboree in Isangele. The one-day ceremony, being the first in a series of cultural activities by AFRICAphonie to reinforce peace- and confidence-building in the Peninsula, revealed the potentials of culture in women towards the enhancement of peaceful co-existence in the area. Somewhat, it was a paradigm shift from the talky-sensitization-seminar-approach to the ‘enter educate’ (entertainment + education) approach.

Bakassi Peace - An AFRICAphoinie Documentary on Peace-building

An excerpt of "Bakassi Peace" (A Documentary on Citizen Peace-buildingin the Bakassi Peninsular of Cameroon). An AFRICAphonie production with support from The United States Institute of Peace (USIP). Directed and narrated by Constantain Mbom, Produced by Mwalimu George Ngwane.

"AFRICAphonie's Bakassi Peace documentary is not just a demonstration on how to approach grassroots peace-building in conflict zones or communities of tension, but also a magisteral lesson on how civil society organizations in Africa can, with limited resources, successfully effect change in local communities through innovative, creative and cost-effecitve strategies that get the full buy-in and support of both the local administration and the target population." Dibussi Tande

Part 1

Part 2

 Note: This is not the complete documentary but highlights put together to meet Youtube's 10-minute limit for videos. If you're interested in the full-length documentary, please contact AFRICAphonie at: Africaphonie2000@ yahoo.co.uk

New From AFRICAphonie: Bakassi Peace (DVD and Newsletter

Bakassi Peninsula in Cameroon is still in the frontline but this did not deter AFRICAphonie, with support from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) from embarking on a citizen peace building project (public discussion forums and training workshops) aimed at sharing ideas and information with a wide range of actors on how to recognize early warning signals and develop measures to minimize gun violence in the Bakassi zone.

 
This project is packaged in a 45 mn DVD Documentary called “Bakassi Peace” that provides the historical and geographical context of the Bakassi conflict and explores the role of citizens in post conflict management.

New AFRICAphonie Publication: The Herbalist Newsletter

An AFRICAphonie in-house tabloid based on Indigenous knowledge, human development and sustainable livelihood.

 
The maiden edition that came out in December 2009 focused on the need for collaboration between tradi-practitioners and medical doctors in Cameroon. The edition covers the recommendation and resolutions proposed by participants of a workshop on traditional medicine and HIV/AIDs organized by AFRICAphonie with support from the Fred Foundation, Nature Cameroon.

The Herbalist is intended to be periodical and is distributed Free.

AFRICAphonie Sues for Collaboration among Health Practitioners

Roland Mbonteh (Eden newspaper 28th October 2009)

AFRICAphonie, a Buea-based civil society organization involved in social issues inspired by indigenous knowledge advocacy has made strides to bridge the gap among Traditional Health Practitioner on the one hand and between Modern medical practitioners and tradi-health practitioners on the other.


The need for collaboration among traditional health practitioners and medical practitioners was therefore the thrust of a two-day workshop on “Indigenous Knowledge and HIV/AIDS management in Cameroon: the case of traditional medicine” organized by AFRICAphonie.

Tradi-healers Brainstorm on Collaboration with Medics

By Azore Opio (The Post newspaper October 30 2009)

A cross-section of traditional health practitioners, THPs, based in the South West Region October 22-24 at the Executive Hotel, Buea, brainstormed on how to work Together with Medical Practitioners. 
 
The workshop that held under the auspices of AFRICAphonie with Mwalimu George Ngwane as Executive Director came in the wake of continual conflicts of interest between the two health practices.

Tradi-healers Brainstorm on Collaboration with Medics

By Azore Opio (The Post newspaper October 30 2009)

A cross-section of traditional health practitioners, THPs, based in the South West Region October 22-24 at the Executive Hotel, Buea, brainstormed on how to work Together with Medical Practitioners. The workshop that held under the auspices of AFRICAphonie with Mwalimu George Ngwane as Executive Director came in the wake of continual conflicts of interest between the two health practices.
 Among the many questions raised that THPs encounter such as illegality, quackery and the non-ratification of the law on traditional medicine; widespread and increasing use of complementary and alternative therapies, the participants agreed that the health care system today is a dynamic, rapidly changing world of multiple healing modalities that overlap and interact on many levels.

Time for an African Union Summit on “Cultural Industries in Africa”

An Open Letter to the African Union Commission President

By Mwalimu George Ngwane

His Excellency Jean Ping,

One of the objectives of the African Union Treaty is to “promote sustainable development at the economic, social and CULTURAL levels as well as the integration of African economies (Section 3j).
One of the Specialised Technical Committees of the African Union is the Committee on Education, CULTURE and Human Resources (Section 14g).

Telefilms: Telling our Own Tales

By Mwalimu George Ngwane

The rampant closure of cinemas in most cities in Africa today may be harmful to the growth of celluloid cinema and the future of the film festival (FESPACO) in Burkina Faso.  On the other hand this may open a window of opportunity to the new wave of television films (telefilms) now becoming a permanent feature in our cultural landscape.

Africa Magic and Africa Magic Plus, the twin audio-visual channels hosted by M-Net in South Africa are fast becoming the artistic vista for African film producers interested in bringing screen art and culture to the privacy of our sitting rooms and bedrooms.