The iREP Report 2017 iREP Newsletter Vol. 6, Issue 4 It was also suggested that younger archiv- Liberating African History from Colonial Archives al researchers should be trained not just to recognise faces, but also important by Amarachukwu Iwuala should engage in negotiations with Euro- moments in history. Participants at the peans to release such footage to their round-table agreed that individuals uring the round-table for true owners wherever they are found should establish businesses in archiving, producers captioned Access similar to the way in which African states noting that there is a business case for to Archives - Imperatives of Co- gained independence from their colonial that since the materials can be aggregat- operatives and Collaboration, masters. ed and monetised. Dfilmmaker Jihan El-Tahri, traced the histo- El-Tahri also informed the gathering that The process of commencing such busi- ry of the disappearance of archived con- most archival material is still within the nesses could be as simple as persuading tent from Africa to Europe. continent because upon the establish- people not to discard their old belong- According to her, "African filmmakers ment of the Organisation for African ings and offering tokens to acquire the made deals with their European suppliers Unity (now African Union) in 1963, TV materials where possible. Barter, it was to exchange recorded tapes with empty stations across Africa were mandated to also mentioned, can be employed in ones and the Europeans, in turn, archived drop all their video recordings with the acquiring archival materials, which may the tapes, which now cost between €800 union at the end of every year. be audio, visual (motion and still) plus and €4,000 per minute of archive whilst German film producer Bärbel Mauch written materials. any archive that has Mandela in it could revealed that it could also be difficult to The importance of a legal framework was cost as much as €8,000." access archives in Germany because they continued on P4 As far as El-Tahri is concerned, Africans are not always well-labelled. tary films, she said, “I think it’s absolutely Enabling a Universal Visual Narrative essential that documentary films are made. We should care about ensuring funding to filmmakers who document history way beyond news or short-time reportage. CA- HIER AFRICAIN is a long-term record of the conflict in CAR. For the German soci- ety, it’s really important not only in terms of having long term observations but also to get connected to different perspectives like having a documentary film from an African filmmaker like Dieudo’s MAMA COLONEL in a place like Congo, with its stereotypes. There are people who do something and try to change societies from within but not with NGOs and from the outside. It’s important to make these nar- ratives public.” Beyond the filmmaker’s responsibility, she added that as a people, “We need to en- gage each other more. IREP is concerned by Aderinsola Ajao ters Film Festival in Cape Town, and the Maisha Film Lab. with development and democratisation, IRST STEPS Documentary and I think documentary can really do The FIRST STEPS training is in line with Storytelling Workshop that. You are yourself responsible to IREP’s interest in training aspiring change something: Think for yourself, The FIRST STEPS Documentary filmmakers. “We always want to work with double-check. F Storytelling Session was one of what is important for our partners. We the workshops at IREP 2017. A project wanted to move beyond exchange of films, “What documentary beautifully does, initiated by IREP with DOK.Fest Munich, and the idea for FIRST STEPS was born when it follows one character around in the 5-day workshop was facilitated by Ger- targeting first-time filmmakers who had their daily life, it shows, this is real, it’s not man filmmaker Florian Schewe. At the stories to tell but did not know how to fake. It’s not reality TV, it’s not TV.” end of the sessions, 5 (plus 1) stories were approach it,” Off said. Speaking after the workshop, Florian selected for development and production. Apart from the festival’s Africa Day, other Schewe said documentary film festivals in The finished projects will be screened at initiatives been rolled out by DOK.Fest Europe are recording a larger turnout in next year’s IREP Film Festival in Lagos include a YouTube channel dedicated to recent times, even in an age of infor- and at DOK.Fest in Munich. African documentary shorts. This is to mation overload or the infamous Documentaries, a Window to the World have a “window into African realities and ‘alternative facts’. Barbara Off, co-ordinator of Dok.Fest perspectives with films that would never “There is an urge from people to listen to Munich spoke about their continued part- reach a German audience.” different stories and characters that are nership with the IREP Documentary Festi- They also plan to establish a university not otherwise accessible but seem to be val and further plans for collaboration exchange programme between students real [in this case documentary film].There within the DOK.Network Africa Initiative. from Nigerian and German universities, is a need to experience, for yourself, other parts of the world - which is where film According to Off, both organisations were who are interested in history and docu- comes in, and it’s more than clicking introduced in 2013 by Marc-André mentary film. “Everybody is coming to through the internet and just accessing Schmachtel, former director of Goethe- Africa to make films here and there are content.” Institut Lagos, at the time when DOK.Fest not so many filmmakers from Africa going was setting up a permanent special focus to Germany to make films, so that’s a huge According to Schewe, there is pressure for on African documentary film. possibility.” the documentary filmmaker on two sides. One is from getting recognition in the Since 2013, the partnership has involved This year, DOK.Fest will host a workshop midst of so much information on the In- curatorial and staff exchanges, festival vis- open to students of film and history, Off ternet, and the other is regarding objectivi- its, panels, workshops, and artist residen- said, referencing African oral history and ty and subjectivity: the author’s “point of cies. Other African film festivals in the the relevance of documentary film in writ- view compared to the objective analysis.” DOK Network Africa include the Zimba- ing and shaping history. bwe International Film Festival, Encoun- On the continued relevance of documen- On the stories crafted in the work- For aspiring filmmakers, Schewe advises shop, which Schewe described as a diverse them to “Go out there, and don’t get dis- The Centre of Excellence in array of ideas, “Everybody wants to do couraged. If you don’t have the money, Film and TV, the training something different.” figure out how you can collaborate with people to get things done. To really do centre where Oshin honed Making films is now easier though, as that is actually quite comfortable and easy, her skills under the late Ig- Schewe believes there is access to technical especially if it’s not a complicated story. equipment. “With access, it also means Film is a team effort, at the end of the we's tutelage, is also not men- more people can do that. Then it comes to day.” tioned in AMAKA’S KIN. the second layer of how do you do that FIRST STEPS: Winning Projects and how do you tell a story with that. It’s certainly relevant where you come from BOTTOM POWER by Stella Oluoma and film market, which was organsied in and to whom you want to speak: who SURVIVING CHILD HAWKING by Abuja, the nation's capital, between 2003 should be your audience. What do you Temitope Aluko & 2012. want to relay to this people and why. FAIR FINIAN by Ronya Man The Centre of Excellence in Film and TV, There’s a difference between you wanting the training centre where Oshin honed her to produce a film here in Lagos for people BLOOD AND WATER by Funmi Eko skills under the late Igwe's tutelage, is also in Lagos or let’s say for the international Ezeh not mentioned in AMAKA’S KIN. Per- documentary festival in Munich.” BONE by Gabriel Emmanuel haps, Oshin assumes that everyone who will see this film knew the late Igwe, hence To support his ‘mission’ for making docu- Plus One: FARLON By Emeka Loveday mentaries that are truly universal and dis- her failure in revealing the woman's out- standing contributions to the development mantling any stereotypes the participants An Impetus for Female Directors might have, Schewe started off the work- of the industry. shop by showing a documentary with no The filmmaker is interested in producing a by Amarachukwu Iwuala dialogue. critical mass of female film-makers, which is “I show the silent documentaries simply to brilliant. However, there is no indication show the idea that you can actually have ate Amaka Igwe could be said to in the film that the late Igwe etched her moving images and music,” he said, “and have inspired the 21st century name on the viewers' minds due to the fact what that means is telling a story that eve- Nigerian female filmmaker that almost all her projects are world-class. rybody can understand no matter where through the quality of her films L and TV productions. These in- you come from. Sounds simple but it’s actually not. You don’t need people talk- clude Checkmate, Solitaire, Tempest, Fuji ing about stuff all the time: you don’t need House of Commotion, Rattlesnake, Violated, interviews all the time, explaining to you Forever and To Live Again.