Dr. Maya Angelou, Chairperson
FESPACO Paul Robeson Award
Honorary Board of Trustees
We are honored, this year, to have Dr. Maya Angelou chair the FESPACO 2005
Paul Robeson Award Initiative Honorary Board of Trustees.
Dr. Maya Angelou is a remarkable Renaissance woman who is hailed as one of
the great voices of contemporary literature. As a poet, educator, historian,
best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and
director, she continues to travel the world, spreading her legendary wisdom.
The FESPACO: PAUL ROBESON AWARD INITIATIVE presents "The Best of the Best"
African diasporic films to the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of
Ouagadougou, more commonly known as FESPACO. Our purpose is to enable the timely
processing of submissions for inclusion and consideration of the FESPACO: PAUL
ROBESON PRIZE. Our intent is to assist Burkina Faso's global outreach efforts
to make FESPACO the "Academy Awards" for all African films.
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Baba Hama, Delegate General
MANAGING DIRECTOR, PAUL ROBESON PRIZE
Prof. C.Sade Turnipseed, MS MBA
HONORARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
1. Dr. Maya Angelou, USA, Chair
2. Cheick Ouedraogo, Pmr. Pres. de la Cour de Cassation
3. Mel Theodore, Min. African Affairs, Cote d'Ivoire
4. Kevin Arkadie, Ivory Coast Pictures
5. Professor Sparo Stanislas Adotevi, Retired UNESCO
6. Danny Glover, Carrie Productions
7. Professor Mbye Cham, Howard University
8. Professor Clyde Taylor, New York University
9. Youl Bahisimine, FESPACO
10. Julianne Malveaux, Ph.D., Last Word Productions
11. Djibril Diallo, United Nations Development Programme
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
iman drammeh, The Drammeh Inst., Inc., Chair
C.Sade Turnipseed, UME Public Relations Mgmt
George Oluwaboro, Bysatv.com
Farika Berhane
Lekan Salaam, Africa Bridge
BOARD OF ADVISORS
St.Clair Bourne, Chamba Mediaworks, Inc, Chair
Kojo Ade, Kojo and Assoc.
Mariet Bakker, Filmfestival Africa, Amsterdam
Mahen Bonetti, N.Y. African Film Festival
Dr.Jane Bryce, Barbados Fest. of Afr.&Carib.Film
iman drammeh, The Drammeh Institute, Inc.
Shari Frilot, Sundance Film Festival
Samba Gadjigo, Mt Holyoke College
Tunde Giwa, The Julliard School
vernard r gray, rivereastmedia.net
Preston "Dakarai" Holas
Tanya Kersey, Hollywood Black Film Festival
Heidi Lobato, Filmfestival Africa, Amsterdam
David Massey
Ave Montague, S.F. Black FIlm Festival
Cornelius Moore, California Newsreel
Donna Mungen, Reel Black Women
Mweze D.NGANGURA, filmmaker
Sandra Rattley, First Voice Int'l Foundation
Terra Renee, African Amer Wm. In Cinema
Tom Spencer-Walters, Ph.D., CSUN
Prof. Walter Turner
Floyd Webb
Florene Wiley, Wiley Entertainment
FESTIVAL RESEARCH COMMITTEE
Florene Wiley, Chair
Helen Rijkaard
Shenae Armour
LIBRARIAN/CATALOGUE SPECIALIST:
George Oluwaboro, Bysatv.com, Chair
Carol Afua Yates, Trinidad/Tobago, W.I.
PROGRAM COMMITTEE
Preston "Dakarai" Holas, Chair
Ako Abunaw, Akobat Global Endearvour
Florene Wiley
Jacquil Constant, Constant Productions
Adilah Barnes, Actor
Dr. Gladstone L. Yearwood, UC Florida
PUBLIC RELATIONS
C.Sade Turnipseed, Chair
Rashid Bahati, iMedia Marketing Group
Farika Berhane
Neil S. Carty, Free Dream Films
vernard r gray, rivereastmedia.net
Bobby Jones, Ph.D.
Cedric Pounds, videographer
Deardra Shuler, Black Star News
SCREENING COMMITTEE
David Massey, Chair
Jule C. Anderson
Bernice Green, Legacy PR
P. Julie Papaioannou, Ph.D.
Florene Wiley
donnie l. betts, No Credits Prod.
Carol Afua Yates
TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
vernard gray, Chair
Wangari Nyanjui
Prema Qadir, BSCE, Web Architect, Videographer
Tunde Giwa
TRANSLATIONS COMMITTEE
Samba Gadjigo, Chair
P. Julie Papaioannou, Ph.D.
Ako Abunaw
TRAVEL COMMITTEE
Nanaesi Betty Ray, Access Africa, Chair
For information on how you may support our efforts, or travel to Africa for
this festival, please contact:
Prof. C.Sade Turnipseed, Managing Director
Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou-FESPACO 2005
Paul Robeson Prize Initiative
fespacopra@aol.com
323.350.0579