Gaston Kabore Profile

The world didn't just simply sit and wonder about him but wrote countless articles and books, on the life, works and commitment of the living legend who proudly gears the wheels of film making in Africa.
"I am a storyteller, drawing water from the well of my culture": says the man who ranks among Africa's most distinguished filmmakers, and is of extraordinary depth, conviction, and lucidity.
His works, glittering on the inner pages of his bold profile, still shine all over the world framed by narratives of the pre-colonial past, decolonization struggles and postcolonialism.
"His directing achievements are all the more remarkable due to the degenerative eye condition that has impaired his sight for more than a decade. He relies on a trusted team of crew, and his own innate ability to frame the shots that he wants to see in his head," writes the BBC.
In 40 years of tireless alignment on self reflection and storytelling, he has lighted the torch and paved the channel for many filmmakers in Africa. The 1997 Grand-prize winner of FESPACO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, for his renowned feature Buud Yam. The Griot enjoys more than ten movies he directed and over six books written about him.
Gaston Kabore.
Born 23 April 1951, Bobo Dioulasso, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Kabore started out as a history student at the Centre d'Etudes Superieures d'Histoire d'Ouagadougou and continued his studies in Paris where he received an MA. During his studies he became interested in how Africa was portrayed abroad, which then led him, in 1974, to study cinematography at the Ecole Superieure d'Etudes Cinematographiques. Further inspiration came upon viewing Ousmane Sembene's Xala, which he saw as an example of how film could be used to express African culture. After returning to Africa, Kabore was made director of the Centre National du Cinema and taught at the Institut African d'Education Cinematographique where along with students under his direction there he made his first film, 'Je Reviens De Bokin' (I Come from Bokin).

THE IRON GRIOT,
In life time alignment with African cinema

Kabore's first feature, Wend Kuuni (1982) was a breakthrough for African cinema notable for the way it translated African oral tradition to the screen. Next, Kabore returned to address the issues surrounding African cinema with a documentary, 'Props sur le cinema' (Reflections on the cinema) (1986). The short film featured two significant African directors, 'Souleymane Cisse' from Mali and Mauritania born Med Hondo discussing the problems facing filmmakers on the continent.
Since 18th edition of FESPACO, February 2003, he continued to spread his legacy opening the giant cinema school Imagine, in Ouagadougou, multiplying young filmmakers of Africa. "It's not enough to do films," he told the BBC. "I owe much to my people, my country and my continent."
Kabore insists he is grappling with one of African film's most pressing problems - the lack of training schools in Africa, which means many of the continent's filmmakers train abroad.
Discussing on strengthening the future of Ethiopian films, this week; Gaston Kabore appeared here in Addis to share his experiences for the initiative.
Capital's Abiy Demilew met the legend to bring you this exclusive interview. Excerpts;

Capital: How does it feel to be in Addis this time?
Gaston Kaboré: Actually this is my second visit to Ethiopia. I love coming to Ethiopia. I couldn’t look around Addis this time, engaged with meetings…but I hope I’ll come back.
I’m also happy to be here this time for the initiative of building the national film industry in Ethiopia which is very important. It is my dream to see each African nation being able to build its cinema industry with all the different segments from the creation to the exhibition levels.
Capital: For some people cinema seems like a luxury…
Gaston Kaboré: Cinema as an extension of culture and expression of people is very important. Yes, even here I heard some people saying cinema is not a priority for Ethiopia as the nation has other priorities. But for me and many others, cinema is not a luxury.
Nobody could tell our stories in our own lands. We should also see our images through cinema for all generations. Especially the youth now is being very much attracted to other cultures through cinema, television, satellite and many others.
This generation needs to be able to belong in their own land with their imaginations and the stories they are told. So we need local content through cinema. So when I was invited to come and contribute to the Ethiopian initiative, I was really exited. I’m also thinking about partnership and collaboration with Ethiopian filmmakers.
Capital: Gaston, you’ve been in this struggle for the last 40 years. Now after all these years, are you seeing results in African filmmaking?
Gaston Kaboré: We Africans used to consume films coming from abroad quite for long time and this will continue because we are not yet able to produce a good quality of movies which can travel all over the world and generate money.
It’s very important that, some countries in Africa gradually understand the value of cinema in development as well. If we need to talk about cultural diversity, we should also be involved in the way the world works. Otherwise we will disappear in our own eyes. The youth need to hear voices from the continent to express its social challenges, hope, and struggle etc…if so, the youth will lose any capability to handle their real life.
Of course, we still have difficulties to produce spectacular films. But with the digital technologies now, we can produce low budget films. So what we need now is training young people what the medium of cinema is all about so that they can tell stories nobody else could tell like the Ethiopian history, the meaning and value of its own millennium.
So I’m optimistic that we Africans will be able to express ourselves in cinema to portray our destinies as a people, countries and as a plural society. But if we fail to do that, we will loose all our destinies as a people. My struggle of the last 30 years has been to portray our images as image is defining being and belongingness in the current world. And our productions should be based on glimpsing our destinies in the future.
Capital: In your country Burkina, you’ve a long tradition of cinema production and exhibition because of Thomas Sankara. But as a whole, what are the core challenges of filmmaking in Africa?
Gaston Kaboré: Good. We are privileged in a way. But still the main challenges of filmmaking in Africa originate from not having cinema policies in countries. This has been the biggest part of my struggle for the last many years - Lobbying policy makers to understand the value of cinema policy. The states are everything. They can really help for the development of culture and cinema.
This also raises another question for African leaders to come up their own strategy of development. Most of the time, we are told what to do. But if our leaders understand the value of cinema, this could be the bigger tool towards development.
Currently cinema and television are playing a significant role.
Capital: So, how do you think this scenario could be reversed?
Gaston Kaboré: There is no other way to reverse the situation than producing our images. We have to produce films in a massive way. This is the only resistance we have now. We know the problem is there…but we should keep on producing our images. Image is the fast moving medium which can change your psychology faster. So if we fail to produce our images, what is waiting for African people is to loose their destinies and future as a global people.
Once again, we don’t have any other choice to make than start producing and giving stories for our audiences who are now starving for their own tales. No matter the cost might be, we shouldn’t give up in our struggle of putting our image on cinema. This would save the generations to come