At Africa’s Largest Film Festival, Politics Pervades Films on View

At Africa’s Largest Film Festival, Politics Pervades Films on View

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso -- For about a decade, Elizabeth Newton, 69, had heard about the Pan-African Film and Television Festival here through mentions in England's Sunday newspapers.

The retired farmer from North Yorkshire never thought about visiting Africa's foremost film festival, a biennial event that began in 1969, until she saw "9/11," a movie in response to the 2001 attacks on the United States by 11 directors around the world.

The contribution of Idrissa Ouédraogo, perhaps this West African nation's foremost director, about two children's attempt to cash in on sighting a man who may or may not be Osama bin Laden, so charmed Newton that she decided to visit the country during FESPACO, as the festival is known by its French acronym.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article as well as three free articles per month. You'll also receive our free email newsletter to stay up to date on all our coverage:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having your own personal researcher and analyst for news and events around the globe. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of 15,000+ articles
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday
  • Weekly in-depth reports on important issues and countries
  • Daily links to must-read news, analysis, and opinion from top sources around the globe, curated by our keen-eyed team of editors
  • Your choice of weekly region-specific newsletters, delivered to your inbox.
  • Smartphone- and tablet-friendly website.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review