Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Communications Specialist, AWDF and the designated staff member leading on the organisation of the 2nd AWIFF talks with Beti Ellerson about the 2nd African Women in Film Forum, its objectives and desired outcomes. It will be held in Accra, Ghana from 23-25 September.

Nana, please give a bit of a history of the African Women in Film Forum

The first African Women in Film Forum (AWIFF) was held in 2010 in conjunction with the Lufudo Academy of Performing Arts led by Joke Silva, the internationally recognised Nigerian actress. The theme for that event was'Nollywood: Women and the Dynamics of Representation', and the focus for that first forum was very much focused on the Nollywood industry. The rich dialogue on the representation of women in Nollywood was kicked off appropriately by a paper presented by Dr Abena Busia, with the title'Of Cooking, Cars and Gendered Culture'. Professor Busia's paper really spoke to the importance of the Nollywood industry, and its influence on how the rest of the world sees African women. This gave a solid foundation to the subsequent panels and discussions which delved deeper into the issues that arise from limited representations of African women in film.

One of the sessions that got everybody buzzing was entitled'Saints, Whores, Nags and Witches'. Dedicated viewers of Nollywood might recognise some of these familiar tropes. The evil mother-in-law, the conniving-husband-stealing woman, the Sugar-Daddy-seeking-school girl, the dedicated-church-going wife. These one dimensional characters are not complicated enough, and the AWIFF stressed the importance of showing the full breath of African women's lives. Bibi Bakare Yusuf of Cassava Republic Press who also participated in the forum spoke about the importance of creating artistic works and films that speak to the kind of future we wish to inhabit. That for me was a very important point to make, and one that I also believe. Our reality should not limit our creativity. Our creative expression can also help shape and guide our future reality.

What are the overall objectives of the African Women in Film Forum?

AWDF conceptualised the AWIFF in order to utilise the power of film to accelerate efforts towards gender equity and social justice. We think filmmakers have a powerful role to play in shifting or reinforcing patriarchal attitudes, and we want to work with filmmakers to create a better world for women, and the community at large.

What were the responses to the First Women in Film Forum?

The response to the first AWIFF was extremely positive. We had many stakeholders in the Nollywood industry represented including key players such as Amaka Igwe, Tunde Kelani and Emem Isong. Time and time again during the first AWIFF participants expressed the importance of creating such a space, and the relevance of maintaining this space.

Continue reading (Interview & AWIFF 2013 PROGRAMME) at
sur Africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr

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Sarah Mukasa, African Women's Development Fund, Prof Linus, NAFTI, Yaba Badoe, Sefi Atta, Ade Solanke, Korkor Amarteifio, Stéphanie Soleansky, Tsitsi Dangaremgba, Sarah Bouyain, Donor, International Images Film Festival for Women,...