TIPTOPSTARS

Renowned US-based Cameroonian film maker, Victor Viyuoh has told the BBC that African motion picture artists are trapped by financial setbacks, reason why it is difficult to tell their own stories own to the outer world. Viyuoh, the man behind Ninah’s Dowry blamed this on the continent’s governments which according to the film maker, have priorities that are different from investing in movie production. “…our societies are financially trapped and they historically undervalue art,” Viyuoh regretted. However, the film maker held, the tables could be turned. “One way around that difficulty I find is crowd-funding. With the people making small donations, an artist can raise enough money to see through a vision that would otherwise be impossible to realize,” he explained. The producer/director of Ninah’s Dowry was speaking in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso where the 23^rd edition of the Pan African Film and Television Festival dubbed FESPACO has been taking place. It should be noted that Ninah’s Dowry was projected at the festival.

TTS Notepad compiled by Ernest Kanjo