Initiative Africa

Genre : Development/education
Status : Non-governmental organisation
Principal country concerned : Column : Cinema/tv, History/society
Institute on Governance and Innovative Leadership P.O. Box 1123
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel. : 251-11-440-10-97 | 251-11- 440-02-05
Fax : 251-11-442-51-46
http://www.initiativeafrica.net/
Contact by email

Behind Addis International Film Festival on Rights and Justice stands the non-profit-making, non-partisan organisation Initiative Africa (IA). It is based in Ethiopia and brings together practitioners and their organisations to improve and innovate governance and development practices in Ethiopia and Africa. Through locally driven development programs and activities, IA promotes the study of public and private governance, strengthens collective empowerment, facilitates dialogue and knowledge sharing.

In January 2007, IA has launched the first edition of the Addis Ababa International Film Festival. The main objectives of the festival are to educate the general public on human rights issues through the medium of film, and to bring together a community of filmmakers, activists and officials around the festival themes. This event is truly the first of its kind in Ethiopia; locally organised and internationally oriented, while focusing on the link between modern cinema and awareness-raising.

This project is more than just a festival; It is all about educating and enlightening citizens through the medium of film. Film and other art-forms are in this sense merely vehicles intended to convey certain social messages; address injustices and draw attention to the plight of the poor and underprivileged of the world. IA, as an organization that endeavors to address these very problems, is committed to the use of film as a tool for its advocacy work in human rights.

As we have seen through our experiences in organizing the first edition of the festival, film is a highly under-exploited medium in Ethiopia. In spite of a modest boom in film-making in recent years, hardly any tradition exists in terms of'socially responsible filmmaking'; films that are meant to educate the public. In the same vein, documentary-makers can hardly be found in Ethiopia. Furthermore there is little exposure to such kind of films from abroad.

We have also seen during the previous edition how well audiences tend to respond to films that address salient human rights issues; the attending public has experienced the films as highly thought-provoking and was highly engaged in the post-screening debates. The impact of films thus seems stronger and more immediate than through other means of awareness-raising.

Keeping in mind the two above-mentioned facts: the underutilization of film as an advocacy tool and the demonstrated responsiveness of Ethiopian audiences to the medium, it would seem that a gap exists in current strategies that are employed for the promotion of human rights in Ethiopia. Initiative Africa proposes to fill this gap through our human rights film festival.

Through building upon the successes already achieved, we hope to achieve sustainable results in the promotion of human rights and development in Ethiopia.

Partners

  • Arterial network
  • Media, Sports and Entertainment Group (MSE)
  • Gens de la Caraïbe
  • Groupe 30 Afrique
  • Alliance Française VANUATU
  • PACIFIC ARTS ALLIANCE
  • FURTHER ARTS
  • Zimbabwe : Culture Fund Of Zimbabwe Trust
  • RDC : Groupe TACCEMS
  • Rwanda : Positive Production
  • Togo : Kadam Kadam
  • Niger : ONG Culture Art Humanité
  • Collectif 2004 Images
  • Africultures Burkina-Faso
  • Bénincultures / Editions Plurielles
  • Africiné
  • Afrilivres

With the support of