Ivorians 'boycott' film festival

The source of their anger is the exclusion of the film Roues Libre, directed by Sidiki Sijiri Bakaba.

Some Ivorians believe the film has been deliberately rejected as part of the wider picture of political antipathy between the two countries.

It had been included in an earlier shortlist for the long feature films competition, but failed to make the final 16.

But Fespaco Director Baba Hama defended the exclusion of the film, adding that there was nothing unusual about Bakaba's film not making it through to the final shortlist.

"It's normal for a film-maker to be sad because they all want to be in the competition," Hama told the BBC World Service's Network Africa programme.

" We deplore the attitude of some film-makers who've decided not to come "
Film fan

"But it's impossible to enter everybody. So there's not any explanation to give.

"It's just the result of the work done by the selection committee. That is all."

Newspapers in Burkina Faso have alleged that Ivorians have not travelled because the authorities in Abidjan advised them that their lives would be at risk in Ouagadougou.

Film-makers criticised

Ordinary Burkinabe are referring to the absence of the Ivorians as a boycott, and there was disappointment when they did not appear at the opening ceremony.

One Burkinabe film fan, brought up in Ivory Coast, told Network Africa it was "very sad" that links were being made between politics and culture.

"We deplore the attitude of some film-makers who've decided not to come," he added.

"We have very important cultural ties with them and share the same population.

"They should have come, we could talk about our problems here so that a solution could be found."

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
BBCi: Network Africa
BBCi: Fespaco 2003
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