A journalist’s first experience at the FESPACO Film Festival in Ouagadougou, highlighting the celebration of African cinema
I was in Ouagadougou in the last week of February for the 2025 FESPACO Film Festival. It was my first time at the biennial gathering of filmmakers, marketers and distributors.
I had been to Cannes, TIFF, BFI, PAFF and others in Europe and America, so FESPACO was home away from home even if I didn’t speak a word of French, which is the official language of Burkina Faso.
Thankfully, I had my friend Steve Ayorinde, the former Commissioner for Information, Tourism & Culture in Lagos State, whose French I malign publicly but whose knowledge and appreciation of the language is a lifesaver.
I was in good company in Burkina Faso. Apart from Steve, there was my filmmaker friend, Kunle Afolayan, NFVCB ED Dr. Shaibu Husseini, KAP Film and TV Academy director, Seun Soyinka and the institution’s marketing and PR executive Gbemisola Afolabi.
The first three days in Ouagadougou were spent networking, watching films and eating rice, poulet and plantain (pronounced aloko but sounded more like Aluko) at Restaurant La forêt.
Dr. Husseini of the NFVCB was very much present at many of the programmes and he offered valuable insights into filmmaking in Nigeria and Africa.
“FESPACO 2025 showed that with unswerving commitment by the government, a film festival can bring people together irrespective of class and creed.”
For Kunle, the festival was not just another platform to reinforce his position as a trailblazer in African cinema; it was a golden opportunity to celebrate a priceless legacy inherited at birth and surpassed at will.
On Thursday, he delivered a masterclass on filmmaking. In three hours, he sold his KAP Group – comprising the film village and resort, television and film academy, motion picture production and cinema – to an enthralled audience of cinéastes, policymakers and star-struck fans. Yes, he also celebrated the ingenuity and resilience of Nigerian filmmakers who make magic with little or no outside funding.
Friday was a day for father, son and Naija spirit. Ija Ominira, a film produced by Kunle’s father Adeyemi Afolayan (Ade Love) was screened in the afternoon at Cine Burkina in the FESPACO Classics section which tells the history of African cinema with restored 35mm films. The film stars Duro Ladipo, Oyin Adejobi, Kareem Adepoju, Ade Love and Jimoh Aliu and others. There was a sentimental ring to the screening as a character played by Kunle’s recently deceased mum is seen delivering a fatal blow to a villain in the film. The day also saw the screening of Recall, a new psychological drama by Kunle starring the likes of Sharon Ooja, Olurotimi Fakunle, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Bimbo Akintola, Tina Mba, Keppy Ekpeyong, Patience Ozokwo, Shan George, Muyiwa Ademola and Bolaji Ogunmola. We ended the day with the KAP Party at Seven Stone Lounge. I ended the day with films in my head and food in my belly. Some revellers left the party legless.
For a first timer at FESPACO, I was impressed by the organisation of the festival in spite of some obvious lapses. Regular attendees said the absence of France due to the diplomatic row with Burkina Faso robbed it of some of its shine.
France or no France, the Burkinabes made the best of what they had. The people owned it. Cars and motorbikes competed for space at screening venues. It was a populist festival.
FESPACO 2025 showed that with unswerving commitment by the government, a film festival can bring people together irrespective of class and creed. It does not have to be an elitist shindig designed for the 1 percent of the 1 percent.
