When I read Hussam Hussein post with his first African experince. We discussed which country I would like to visit. I said: Brasil in South America. But now, I know which country I would like to visit in Africa. 

Burundi

Burundi, located just south of Rwanda, is a nation emerging from a war-time crisis and entering a new era of cultural understanding, tolerance and education. The absence of a developed media has crippled the nation’s ability to operate as a proper democracy and exposed the need for professional journalism and artistic expression through audio-visual storytelling.

There is Burundi Film Center. BFC is a media development projected launched by three Canadian filmmakers. With no outside funding, their own equipment and some resourceful friends, the Canadians (two from Ottawa, one from Montreal) were able to train 36 students, aged 18-25, the basics of film production and produce five short dramatic films.

The important stories of the Third World are often left untold, in the global media, simply because they don’t have the technology and training to make compelling films and documentaries. They either depend on foreign filmmakers and documentarians to “discover” them, or else they languish unseen. The Burundi Film Center aims to change that.

Our vision is that the Burundi Film Center (BFC) develop as a three phase initiative towards the development of Burundi as a film and video-producing nation; for its product, talent and ultimately for the country as a location for producing foreign films. Burundi is a nation emerging from a war-time crisis and entering a new era of cultural understanding, tolerance and education. The absence of a developed media has crippled the nation’s ability to operate as a proper democracy and exposed the need for professional journalism and artistic expression through audio-visual storytelling. The BFC is a unique opportunity for Burundian citizens to learn essential 21st century mass communication skills from international filmmakers and documentarians, while engaging those same media experts in African issues.

Quote from Burundi Film Centre

Here is a diagram of how it works:

This is a brilliant idea for me as filmmaker. What do you think? This will help further expand the information about what is happening in Africa? Or not?

You can follow the whole Burundi session on Christopher’s blog at Citizenshift.

Image sources: Burundi film centre blog