PRESS RELEASE

Ouagadougou, 28 February 2013

IN THE MARGINS OF THE 23rd EDITION OF FESPACO, A BRIEFING SESSION ON THE ACP CULTURES+ PRORAMME WAS HELD IN OUAGADOUGOU, ON 28 FEBRUARY 2013, WITH OVER TWO HUNDRED PROFESSIONALS IN ATTENDANCE

A briefing session on the ACPCultures+ Programme was held in the margins of the 23rd Edition of FESPACO, at 11:30 on 28 February in the Liptako Gourma Conference Hall in Ouagadougou. Chaired by Ms. Michèle Dominique Raymond, ACP Assistant Secretary-General in charge of Political Affairs and Human Development, the session was attended by over two hundred people, including film and audio-visual professionals, representatives of institutions, political policy-makers, cultural operators, etc.

H.E. Mr Alain Holleville, Ambassador and Head of the E.U. delegation in Ouagadougou, in expressing satisfaction with ACP-EU cooperation in the promotion of ACP cinematography and television industries, highlighted the European Union’s commitment to the Ouagadougou Panafrican Cinema and Television Festival.

The ACP Assistant Secretary-General recalled the ACP Group’s commitment to the development of viable and sustainable ACP cultural industries, particularly in the cinematographic and audiovisual sphere. She provided information on the two calls for proposals of the ACPCultures+ Programme and expressed satisfaction with the growing participation of the ACP cultural operators as seen in the 2nd Call for Proposals.

Four project promoters, who have benefitted from the support of intra-ACP funds under the 9th and 10th EDF, took the floor to share their experiences and the development of their activity made possible with the support of the ACP funds.

Mr. Raymond Weber, President of Culture and Development Association (France) spoke again on the very positive results of the Arpem Project (Support for West African network of business incubators in the music industry) and the sustainability of the project through the creation of the Arpic Programme (Support Programme to strengthen cultural policies and industries) which was put in place by the Government of Burkina Faso. Mr. Emile Zida, coordinator of the Arpic Programme, presented the functioning and objectives of this new Programme in greater detail.

Afterwards, the producers of two television series supported by the ACP Films Programme (9th EDF) shared their experience: Mrs. Valérie Kaboré, Director of the Medias 2000 Production Company of Burkina Faso and producer of the television series Ina Saison 2, and Mr. Leopold Togo, of the National Centre of Cinematography of Mali (CNCM), producer of the television series, Les Concessions.

Finally, Mr. Enrico Chiesa, Head of the Africa Films TV-MobiCiné project, financed under the 9th and 10th EDF, spoke of the latest developments in his project. The ACP Secretariat was delighted at the keen interest shown in the ACPCultures+ Programme as attested to by the cinema and audio-visual professionals, institutional representatives and the cultural operators present at the 23rd Edition of FESPACO.

The Special ACPCultures+ Prize will be awarded during the Special Award Ceremony of the 23rd FESPACO which will take place on 1 March 2013.