Abderrahmane Sissako: In search of a stallion who comes from everywhere! should never neglect the symbols, we are fifty years later after the first turn of the handle of African cinema, within weeks of opening XIX th Fespaco and a few hours of the first Cine-Club dedicated to cinema from Africa, the Caribbean and the American Diaspora. We had the pleasure of getting to know the director of Waiting for Happiness, "Waiting for Happiness", the Mauritanian Abderrahmane Sissako. He not only gave us his views on African cinema, but he also took the opportunity to give us a lesson in cinema.
Who is really Abderrahmane Sissako? He is a man of course. It starts from Mauritania, Mali's hand, he left the Soviet Union and it happens France, including Cannes. The hardest he has accomplished at the age where teenagers prepare the pan: take the decision to leave. "The geographical journey is much less difficult than the decision-making that trip that we saw before," he says. This slender man, who carries both the robe, hat from the tie, always wanted to go, no matter where and how. This is the story of a boy born in Mauritania, high in Mali, to whom a scholarship has allowed one day to go very far from Africa to study film in one of the schools most prestigious the world: Moscow VGIK. The boy Kiffa became one of the greatest filmmakers of Africa, it has simply become a great filmmaker. Who, at this moment, is working on writing his new film.
What do you think of all these initiatives, like those of the cinema club dedicated to cinema from Africa, Caribbean and American Diaspora?
We will not complain. That makes a fact. It is a welcome initiative, as whenever individuals or institutions create an opportunity for the work of filmmakers and craftspeople SSA is exposed. It's a small gesture, but one giant leap for mankind. This at least shows that there are still good will who care. It's a great idea, work hard and be initiators long, especially if this film club wants to attract other people believe that insiders and reaches a wide audience. In any case, all the evil that I could wish them.
That is for you that your film is opening this first film club ?
is pride. It begins in Paris have places of visibility of African creativity. This satisfaction is tarnished by a general lack of African cinema on French screens while much of the population belongs to this culture. So every time there is an opportunity that is created, no matter how small it is a godsend. However, deep inside me mingle also a little confused feelings such as fear of being stationed in places such as the Musée Dapper and simultaneously a desire to see the movie opening to a wide audience, which remains the ultimate goal of any filmmaker. That's all for you to say I'm happy but I still fed large questions.
Thus, the absence of black or African films in large rooms leave you wondering. Where do you find the real problem, if there?
can not see this as a problem, but instead may try to make a statement. What statement? I can not really tell you. But first analysis, I would say in the movies, there are several trades. To simplify, there are no real limits between the different bodies of art. Very often, we confuse the work of filmmakers with the distributors.
Developers are often forced to lug around from festival to festival to sell their film. To do this they must make their own strategic choices: to show their film in Africa or canvass in Europe, or vice versa. We forget that it must be the job of someone else's work wear, do not focus on any one person just because it's supposedly his project. She, alone, can not be implemented until the end.
To achieve this requires that the chain actually exists. So if we can speak of a problem in the visibility of African cinema in the West it is at this level. The chain, when it exists, is low. And if he had put his finger on one of these weak links, it would be first at the distribution level, although they are the linchpin of the film.
In order to distribute a film must be convinced of its contents, be sensitive to its message and want to share it with others. Now when you do not want this, this sensitivity or ability to fight for a movie, what else does it?
Why distributors are not lining up more? Is it relative to the quality of African cinema, or simply because it does not fit into the business logic of these institutions?
For my part, many things are missing. Already, we must deepen the debate on North-South: What is really the nature of the relationship between these two cultural entities? There is still a dominant position and dominated.
The problem is that nobody wants to take this reality when things are yet clear. Simply say without falling into cliches of perpetual claim by trying to rewrite history. What is done is done, it is also the cultural heritage of the peoples of Africa and the West, where they are.
Without repeating this common past, we should just ask the problem of ambiguous perception that the vast majority of Western Africa. Why does Europe always spanned the continent culturally so close to her to go to Asia, more distant? It is therefore necessary to discuss and inform the two nations to abolish the existing misunderstandings. Only thus we come to really tell Africa that is singularly unique and we will stop marginalizing it. Only from that moment they arrive to share in diversity.
To hear you, you look through your work to break with the marginalization caricature.
Listen, it's too easy and even easier to position this and to trumpet that way "I leave the ghetto." Of course, it's a good speech that suits everyone. Yet things are more complex. I, for example, I always chose themes that are part of my story. I try to treat them in a way far more open. I do not have a monopoly on my journey, it belongs to a lot of people on this earth.
Every desire of creation is first a willingness to share with each other, so try to correspond with him somehow. Can not get away and lock myself in creativity, I open myself to everything and everyone.
Let's talk about Fespaco. You are the Stallion Yenenga title. That much did he bring?
Honestly, this award is a unique experience, he brought me a lot and I unable to attend the largest gathering of African cinema. Regarding competitiveness, I can not say anything. It could have been someone else. Also noteworthy is that today no other prices do me much filled the stallion, because initially my work was suffering from a disability. Some criticism had decided that I was doing movies elsewhere. What she did not know was that this same film is not popular in Europe. It simply forms of creative proposals to give another reading
As we speak Fespaco, African cinema is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. Can you tell us about the moments that you have made the history of cinema?
I do not know if it is really necessary to talk about fifty years of African cinema. I subscribe to the logic of Baba Hama one should speak of a departure which, needless to say, is quite arbitrary. I do not say that we should not celebrate them. Because today, you have to look back and draw up a balance sheet.
And this record, I come out a pathetic statement. I do not judge the quality of the works, far from it. I talk more about the lack of production. Because after fifty years of existence, there are still countries in this continent that make a film every ten years or who have not yet occurred. If we could we avoid self congratulate or celebrate our complacency, it would be a good thing.
So if the past fifty years can serve as a mirror to the future by encouraging questions like "What happened ? What worked? What went wrong? Why is this African art he marginal? What are its brakes and means to implement its development? "We will perhaps see more clearly. If concert, audience, artists and policies make this analysis, this part of the continent's history would be fairer and to honor him would be proud.
What movie made you the most? Could you rank your top five African films of this half century?
(Laughter. ..) I prefer in this case include authors rather than movies. And arbitrarily, I would start by Moustapha Alassane and his first Western Africa: Return of the adventurer; also all the work of Ousmane Sembene is quite important in my conception of cinema, then disorder would Souleymane Cisse, Idrissa Ouedraogo and Alain Gomis.
You know your question is a trap, because even a list of ten or even twenty films would not have settled. I love all styles of cinema, and the work of my contemporaries.
prognosis on your successor?
There, you're asking the impossible. Despite all my efforts, I could not. For cons, I think we should look more towards South Africa. It is a cinema that is back, in addition to all the facilities available to it, is the only African country where the will to undertake in this area is real. With a dozen films shown at this year's Fespaco, there is the matter. So I would just like in football, the best man win!
