Creating Africa’s largest film festival

Summary

Podcast Summary: “Creating Africa’s Largest Film Festival”

Podcast: Witness History
Host: Jen Dale
Guest: Ali Mata Salambere
Date: July 24, 2026
Main Topic: The origins and legacy of FESPACO, Africa’s largest film festival, told through the first-hand experiences of co-founder Ali Mata Salambere in Burkina Faso during the late 1960s.

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Episode Overview

This vivid nine-minute episode transports listeners to the late 1960s in Ouagadougou—now Burkina Faso—where a small group of passionate volunteers, led by Ali Mata Salambere, laid the foundation for what would become the Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO). Through Ali Mata’s recollections, the episode details the obstacles faced by early African filmmakers and how the tireless work of the festival organizers changed the cultural landscape, making Ouagadougou the enthusiastic heartbeat of African cinema and launching careers across the continent.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Background: African Cinema Before FESPACO

• Limited Access: In the 1950s-60s, African films were marginalized; most films shown were Westerns unrelated to local cultures.

  • [01:18] Ali Mata Salambere: “It was difficult because the traditions did not allow young girls to go to the movies. It was frowned upon.”
  • [02:25] Ali Mata Salambere: “We only showed movies from Europe, for example, Westerns... We didn’t have a movie industry in particular.”

• Beginnings of Change: African cinema began to develop alongside independence movements. However, infrastructure and exposure remained critically lacking.

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Founding and Early Days of the Festival

• Unexpected Opportunity: Ali Mata is assigned, by chance, to represent a colleague at a meeting—ending up elected president of a new organizing committee for an African film festival.

  • [03:12] Ali Mata Salambere: “We did not have the resources, but the enthusiasm was there, the desire to help African filmmakers.”

• Grassroots Organization:

  • Organizing support from a wide network: cultural center leaders, filmmakers, government, and volunteers from sectors including telecommunications and Air Africa.
  • [04:27] Ali Mata Salambere: “We had a representative from each sector... No one was paid. We were all just committed volunteers.”

• Logistical Challenges:

  • Reliance on telegrams for all communications, juggling volunteer work with full-time jobs, and stress due to lack of funding or precedent.
  • [04:02] Ali Mata Salambere: “It was only the telegram. There were no other quick options.”

• Event Venue: Permission obtained to use the impressive “House of the People,” a symbol of civic pride, ingeniously outfitted for film showings by local technicians.

  • [05:39] Ali Mata Salambere: “It was a big, well-equipped building, perfect for presentations and cultural performances.”

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The Inaugural Festival—A Bold Launch

• Date & Atmosphere: 1st February 1969; launched with music, dance, a sense of shared anticipation, and anxiety.

  • [06:15] Ali Mata Salambere: “It was the first time I was going to speak in public... in front of a head of state and members of the government. When I finished... that was a huge relief.”

• The Films and Audience:

  • About 20 films from across Africa shown.
  • Open invitation—no special passes, just broad public access.
  • Special focus on youth: students invited to screenings and post-film debates.
  • [06:48] Ali Mata Salambere: “It was important to invite young people... Above all, it was also about inspiring vocational interest.”

• Massive Turnout and Reception:

  • Estimated 10,000 attendees; the event exceeded all expectations and ignited enthusiasm for homegrown African cinema.
  • [07:16] Ali Mata Salambere: “The public was very enthusiastic. If the audience hadn’t liked it, there wouldn’t have been a FESPACO... They were all, every single one, won over to the cause of African cinema.”

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Legacy and Significance

• Institutionalization:

  • 1972: FESPACO becomes official by government decree.
  • 1979: Adopts biennial schedule and expands to television in the 1980s.

• Pride and Gender Significance:

  • [08:05] Ali Mata Salambere: “It was a great source of pride because... no one thought Burkina Faso... could organize such an event. As a woman... there were not many women who were in the public domain.”

• Ongoing Impact:

  • FESPACO now an international touchstone, having launched many careers and provided recognition to African filmmakers.
  • [08:45] Ali Mata Salambere: “There are a lot of filmmakers who owe a lot to the FESPACO, many who've won awards thanks to the festival.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cultural Representation:
  • [02:25] Ali Mata Salambere: “We see mountains, horses, things that weren’t part of our culture at all.”
• On Volunteerism and Collaboration:
  • [04:27] Ali Mata Salambere: “No one was paid. We were all just committed volunteers.”
• On Youth Engagement:
  • [06:48] Ali Mata Salambere: “It was important to invite young people...to inspire vocational interest.”
• On Being a Female Pioneer:
  • [08:05] Ali Mata Salambere: “As a woman, let me remind you that at the time there were not many women who were in the public domain.”
• On the Festival's Unexpected Growth:
  • [08:05] Ali Mata Salambere: “When we started the festival in 1969, we didn’t think it was going to be this big.”

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Key Timestamps

• 00:35 – Introduction of FESPACO’s origins
• 01:18 – Ali Mata’s early movie-going experiences
• 03:12 – Formation of the organizing committee and challenges
• 04:27 – Volunteer efforts and team structure
• 05:51 – Description of the festival venue and preparations
• 06:15 – Opening ceremony and personal anxieties
• 06:48 – Focus on youth and broad attendance
• 07:16 – Reflecting on public and official embrace of the festival
• 08:05 – FESPACO’s institutionalization and recognition of Ali Mata’s role
• 08:45 – The legacy: Discovering and uplifting African filmmakers

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Summary Tone & Conclusion

The episode is intimate, celebratory, and inspiring, reflecting the voices and pride of those who built FESPACO from scratch. Ali Mata Salambere’s recollections highlight not just the logistical hurdles but the cultural importance and sense of mission that animated the festival’s creation. Her story is one of collective effort, resilience, and the transformative power of cinema—not just as art, but as a force for unity and self-expression in post-colonial Africa.

Transcript

[Jen Dale]

Hello and welcome to Witness History. I'm Jen Dale, and this is the podcast that looks back at a key moment in history that's helped to shape our world. Episodes come out every weekday and are just nine minutes long. Make sure you never miss an episode by hitting subscribe and turning on your push notifications. I'm taking you back to the late 1960s and the creation of the Pan African Film and Television festival known as Fespaco, nicknamed by some media as the African Oscars.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

Presidents, military rulers or crises may come and go in Burkina Faso.

[Narrator]

The Fespaquin, Jews, Burkina Faso, West Africa. Although one of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina is acknowledged as the home of African cinema, an occasion for

[Ali Mata Salambere]

filmmakers from all over the continent and from the diaspora to discover what's on each other's minds, both on and off the screen. It was mainly about letting people know that African films exist, promoting African films and encouraging them to come and see them. We hoped that all of Africa would open its eyes to its directors, its producers, because they were everywhere in the Congo, Ivory Coast, Senegal, in Mali.

[Jen Dale]

Ali Mata Salambere is a young woman in her twenties living in Ouagadougou, the capital of the Republic of Upper Volta in West Africa, renamed in later years as Burkina Faso. When Ali Mata was growing up, African cinema started to develop as a wave of countries gained independence in the late 1950s and early 1960s. But even then, it was hard for her to watch films.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

Well, during my childhood, it was difficult because the traditions did not allow young girls to go to the movies. It was frowned upon.

[Jen Dale]

However, in high school, she managed to watch some documentaries, and a love of motion pictures begins. By 1968, Ali Mata is in her 20s and working for the national broadcaster.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

I was program manager, working with technicians, producers, directors to put together the programs. At the time, the television was only broadcast from 7 to 10 in the evening.

[Jen Dale]

However, when it comes to a cinematic experience, films from the west still dominate. In Upper Volta, there are only two movie theaters.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

We only showed movies from Europe, for example, Westerns. We see mountains, horses, things that weren't part of our culture at all. We didn't have a movie industry in particular. We only had reports that were made by television. And there was also the information department that produced documentary films. That's all.

[Jen Dale]

Then, a twist of fate. A TV colleague asks Ali Mata to attend a meeting in her place. It's with a group of other film enthusiasts who want to introduce more African films to the local population. She ends up being elected as president of the Committee the task to put on the first African film festival. But the team faces several challenges before this debut event can get off the ground.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

We did not have the resources, but the enthusiasm was there, the desire to help African filmmakers.

[Jen Dale]

Luckily, one of the driving forces behind the idea is Claude Prieur, who runs the local cultural center. He knows the critically acclaimed Senegalese film director Usman Semben, who later become known as the father of African cinema. Semben uses his contacts and several other filmmakers agree to lend their films for the event. Ali Mata has to have blind faith it will all work out.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

It was very difficult, but generally, at the very beginning, the filmmakers would come with the movie boxes in their suitcases. It's very hard to organize the festival, of course, because normally you should see the movie before programming.

[Jen Dale]

Just communicating with the filmmakers and others takes time.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

It was only the telegram. There were no other quick options. For example, when you go to Setu Semben, can you come up with this or that movie? It's by telegram. So the director of the Telecommunications Post office is joining our group to facilitate all this. To be able to make exchanges without

[Jen Dale]

paying, Ali Mata relies heavily on people like this on her team. They're willing to help for free.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

So we had a representative from each sector in order to make things easier. The Air Africa representative saw that the trips are not expensive, so we'd get given tickets. We also asked the mayor to contribute. We brought together all the people who were close to the cultural scene to be able to organize. No one was paid. We were all just committed volunteers.

[Jen Dale]

Whilst committed to the project, organising the event is giving Ali Mata some sleepless nights.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

Obviously I was stressed every day because I continued to do my job as program manager and I also went to meetings to prepare for this African film event. So it was not easy at all. But it was so exciting.

[Jen Dale]

We were convinced and committed and the team's convinced. This event should be for everyone to enjoy. No special invitations are sent out. The general public is welcome. They've been given permission to hold the event at the House of the People, a grand building normally used for political debate. It's circular with a brown concrete facade and small pyramid shaped ventilation ducts on the roof. And echo traditional Burkina Bay huts, allowing natural light into the auditorium below.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

It was a big, well equipped building, perfect for presentations and cultural performances. Thanks to the ingenuity of the technicians, they made sure that we could install a projector in that building so we could show the films.

[Jen Dale]

Finally, the moment they've been building up to for almost a year arrives 1st February 1969. It's a hot and sunny day. Dust swirls around the streets due to the dry wind that blows in from the Sahara Desert at this time of year. The first African Film festival of Ouagadougou opened with a ceremony including music and dance. Ali Matin addresses the crowd.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

Very anxious. I was stressed. It was the first time that I was going to speak in public. Not only in public, but in front of a head of state and members of the government. When I finished giving my speech and it was good, that was a huge relief.

[Jen Dale]

Around 20 films are shown, including ones from Senegal, Niger, Ivory Coast, Tunisia and the Republic of the Congo. But this film event is not just about showing African films to an African audience. It's about inspiring the next generation.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

It was important to invite young people to this festival because they are especially the ones who go out at night to watch movies. Above all, it was also about inspiring vocational interest in young people. We invited young students to come and debate with the director of the film they had just seen.

[Jen Dale]

It's estimated around 10,000 people come along between the 1st and 15th of February, and a closing ceremony rounds off the festival. It exceeds all expectations.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

In 1969, there were no prizes, so the closing was to take stock and thank the government and all the personalities, all the authorities and institutions that allowed us to carry out this event. The public was very enthusiastic. If the audience hadn't liked it, there wouldn't have been a Vespaco. If the heads of state had not liked it, there would not have been a Vespaco. They were all, every single one, won over to the cause of African cinema.

[Jen Dale]

In 1972, the event was made into an official institution by government decree and became known as the Pan African Film Festival of Wagadugu, or FESPACO for short. In 1979, it was made a biennial event held every two years, and in the 1980s it grew to include television.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

It was a great source of pride because, to tell you the truth, when we started the festival in 1969, we didn't think it was going to be this big. Many people were surprised Burkina Faso, which is considered a small country, could successfully organize such an event. It was a source of pride. As a woman, let me remind you that at the time there were not many women who were in the public domain. There are women who know more than me in life, but who maybe haven't had the chance simply to be at the origin of such events.

[Jen Dale]

FESPACO is Africa's largest film festival and is internationally recognised. Ali Mata was guest of honor at the event's 50th anniversary in 2019.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

Looking back, I think we were very inspired because there are a lot of filmmakers who owe a lot to the fespaco, many filmmakers who have been discovered, many filmmakers who've won awards thanks to the festival. I'm delighted to have been part of bringing this event to life, which has

[Jen Dale]

given me so much Ali Mata Salambare splits her time between Ouagadougou and Paris. She was speaking to me. Jen Dale for Witness History and if you'd like to hear more episodes about the history of films, why not check out our movie collection, including the Origin of Nollywood, Nigeria's film industry, and the man who Said no to Disney. We like to know what you think, so please leave us a review. Tell your friends about what you've heard and don't forget to hit subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcast. Thanks for listening.

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Sporting Witness takes you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there.

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We weren't going to ask permission, we were just going to do it.

[Ali Mata Salambere]

It was such an amazing feeling. It was incredible.

[Sporting Witness Guest]

He started to write a story about how he came up with the idea for the red and yellow cars.

[Sporting Witness Host]

I got to we cried a bit, we laughed a bit. It was wonderful.

[Sporting Witness Guest]

There's a magic during those moments that carries your soul. We were truly blessed to be a part of history.

[Sporting Witness Host]

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