Meeting: Preliminary UNESCO results on Africa’s film industry
The film and audio-visual industry holds immense economic potential for African States and acts as a powerful force for promoting the continent's cultural diversity. During UNESCO’s Forum of Ministers of Culture held on 19 November 2019, many Member States of the Africa region underlined the strategic importance of this industry to achieve the full development potential of the continent.
In 2021, the African Union (AU) has also embarked on a year of celebration within the framework of the Year of Arts, Culture and Heritage to strengthen the creative economy of the continent in line with the 2063 Agenda.
Against this backdrop, UNESCO has undertaken a study on the film and audio-visual industry in Africa that aims to establish a roadmap to accompany African States in the elaboration and implementation of evidence-based policies.
As part of the study, UNESCO launched an online consultation on November 2020 with the all the countries of the Africa region in order to draw a clear overview of the state of the film and audiovisual industry in the continent. A total of 36 countries participated in the consultation, which closed on 11 February 2021. A parallel consultation with other stakeholders (private sector, individuals, civil society organizations) was also undertaken.
The results of this study will be presented during a virtual meeting to be held on Wednesday 2 June from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event will be opened by Mr. Ernesto R. Ottone, Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO. The overview of the study will be then introduced by Mr. Toussaint Tiendrebeogo, Secretary of the 2005 Convention. During this meeting, the team of consultants, represented by Ms. Marie Lora Mungai, will present the preliminary results of the study. This meeting will also be an opportunity to collect comments from Member States before the official publication of the study entitled " Focus on the cinema industry in Africa: structural reforms and digital transitions for the diversity " on September 2021.
