Solar-Powered Cinema Opens in Burkina Ahead of Festival 24 February 2017
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Solar-powered cinema opens in Burkina ahead of festival 24 February 2017 have every intention of keeping it that way," Kabore said. "It is in our interest to have theatres." Ouagadougou will play host to the Pan-African Film and Television Festival, better known as FESPACO, which kicks off Saturday and winds up March 4 with a red carpet awards ceremony in the city's football stadium. More than 100,000 people are expected for the 10-day event, held every two years, a year after 33 people were killed and scores injured in an unprecedented jihadist assault in January 2016. President of Burkina Faso Roch Marc Christian Kabore More than 160 movies are screening, including 20 (C) cuts the ribbon during the inauguration of a new features vying for the top award, the prized "Etalon movie theatre which runs on solar power in d'Or" or Golden Stallion. Ouagadougou on February 24, 2017 During the theatre's unveiling, Kabore hailed the "beautiful tool" of culture. A solar-powered cinema was unveiled in Burkina A score of feature films from 14 African countries Faso Friday ahead of Ouagadougou's hosting of and the French West Indian territory of Guadeloupe Africa's top film festival, even as movie theatres on are competing to take the top prize, won last year the continent continue to disappear. by "Fièvres" ("Fevers"), by Moroccan director Hicham Ayouch. The theatre, with its 300-seat capacity, will run on solar energy. Named Canal Olympia Yennenga, it The hall also opens at a time when many historic is now the third-largest movie hall in the Burkina cinemas have shut and when many African cities Faso capital Ouagadougou. just simply lack movie theatres. Located in the city's posh Ouaga2000 The Canal Plus group is set to open about 50 other neighbourhood, the theatre cost about 3 million movie theatres in francophone countries in Africa euros ($3.2 million) to build. where the group operates, said Canal Olympia President Corinne Bach. It is the brainchild of French businessman Vincent Bollore, whose company owns French premium TV It is the third hall the group has opened after and cinema group Canal Plus. Douala in Cameroon, Niamey in Niger, and Conakry in Guinea. "In the city of Ouagadougou, we lack movie theatres of this calibre," said Burkina Faso Despite last year's attack by a three-man jihadist President Roch Marc Christian Kabore. unit on city hotels and restaurants, the government ruled out cancelling the film festival which has "Ouagadougou is the capital of African cinema. We become the small and struggling nation's premier 1 / 2 event. In December, the Burkinabe army suffered its biggest ever setback when 12 soldiers were killed during a jihadist raid on the Mali-Niger border. © 2017 AFP APA citation: Solar-powered cinema opens in Burkina ahead of festival (2017, February 24) retrieved 30 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2017-02-solar-powered-cinema-burkina-festival.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. 2 / 2 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org).