Africa Also Loves Films

Spanish Translation of the Week

From the shores of Tarifa, in Cadiz, it seems as if one could touch Africa, while from the coast of Morocco, it seems as if one could touch Europe. They're both right there. But the strip of water that separates the two continents, the Strait of Gibraltar, is in fact much wider than it looks, and despite millennia of continuous contact and cultural exchange, ignorance prevails. Europe is particularly ignorant about its southern neighbor, and especially about the arts in Africa. One discipline stands out above all others for its invisibility to European eyes: cinematography.

Desde la orilla de Tarifa, en Cádiz, África parece que puede tocarse. Lo mismo ocurre desde la costa de Marruecos, si se mira al norte. Europa está ahí mismo. Pero la franja de agua del Estrecho de Gibraltar es mucho más grande de lo que parece. A pesar de milenios de continuos contactos culturales, el desconocimiento sobre el otro, impera. Especialmente, si hablamos de los vecinos del norte con respecto a los del sur. Ocurre en casi todas las áreas de las artes. Pero una destaca sobre todas por su invisibilidad: la cinematografía.

This article has been translated from Spanish. Click here to read the original version on El Pais.

The Tarifa African Film Festival was created to unite the continents and to bring African stories to Europe. For the second time since the festival was inaugurated over a decade ago, it will be celebrated in the city of Cordoba, which is historically and symbolically significant, as Cordoba was the home of the Umayyads - who came from Arabia via Africa and who carried out the festival's main objective: to unite the two worlds.

Among the festival highlights is Nairobi Half Life (2012), by David Tosh Gitonga. The film tells the story of a young Kenyan who dreams of becoming a great actor and decides to go to Nairobi, the city of opportunity. Once he is in Nairobi, however, his money and belongings are stolen. Babylon, by Tunesian filmmaker Ismael Loutani, will also be screened. The film depicts the construction, in the middle of the Tunisian desert, of a Libyan refugee camp during the war. Jimmy Soul Dakar, directed by Mariana Aguirre, will premiere at the festival, and Newton Adukana, a Nigerian director, will present his work One Man's Show.

The resilience the African Film Festival – fondly called FCAT– is a rare success story, as festival goers feared every year would be the last. Budget adjustments have ensured the festival's funding for the year, though not by much. When compared with the "giants" of Spanish film festivals, such as San Sebastian, which had a budget of 7.2 million this year, FCAT's budget is very modest. In fact, in the past, Mane Cisneros, director of the FCAT, has had to make do with 200,000 euros to mount an international festival with 27 films. The presence of films from Muslim countries in the Middle East is one of the recent hallmarks of the festival, and Cisneros says the best part of the festival is the enthusiasm organizers show despite the tremendous sacrifices they make. "Culture and film are some of the most important gateways that Andalusian entrepreneurs have to a market as vast as Africa," says the director.

The African Film festival was supported by the Cordoba People's Party last year, a risky move that surprised many. Finding support for the festival has not been easy. Organizers have failed to engage in a dialogue with the Junta, and they are limited by the number of cinemas in Cordoba and by the absence of the "Filmoteca de Andalucia". In addition to the Teatro Gongora, the festival will occur in municipal spaces such as the Arab House, the Vimcorsa Chamber and the Rey Heredia Cultural Center.

To celebrate its tenth anniversary, the African Film Festival committee has organized a retrospective review of over 50 years of productions titled "10 Fragments of a Lover's Discourse: Africa". This year marks a decade since a group of people decided to show their love for African cinema by creating a festival, and by launching a unique initiative in Spain.

Article translated by Natalia Diaz, Staff Intern for the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center.

Photo courtesy of Think Africa Press.