Maïmouna N’Diaye is an actress, director, and presenter. She spent 10 years in Côte d’Ivoire, where she worked as an actress at the Ymako Teatri theater. This theater aims to raise awareness and change attitudes towards health and social issues. She then began directing documentaries in Côte d'Ivoire. In 2005, she decided to move to Burkina Faso to continue her acting career in film and theater. She is also a television presenter. Among her awards, she received the 2015 Best Actress Award for L'Œil du cyclone at Fespaco.
Today, she devotes herself to making social documentaries, particularly about women and children. Her latest film is entitled Le fou, le génie et la sage (The Madman, the Genius and the Wise Woman), a documentary on mental health issues in Africa.
With just a few days to go before the end of the Cannes Film Festival, for which you were a member of the jury, what are your impressions? How do you feel?
It was a wonderful experience. After I was told that I would be part of the Cannes Film Festival jury, I spent a week in Ouagadougou preparing for the event. These two weeks in Cannes have been an extraordinary experience. I always watched the festival from a distance, like everyone else I think, and then I arrived in Cannes through the front door. It was a wonderful experience. I was very honored, proud, and happy to represent the African continent, African cinema, African women filmmakers, and women in general who fight every day.
The film "Atlantique" by director Mati Diop won the Grand Prix, which is a great recognition. African cinema still suffers from a lack of visibility, but talent is emerging. What do you think?
As the niece of a great African filmmaker, Djibril Diop Mambety, and the daughter of a great musician, I think Mati Diop had a heavy burden on her shoulders when she participated in the Cannes Film Festival. She represented a beautiful Senegalese production and chose to present her film under the name of the African continent. This is something very powerful and symbolic, which will draw more attention to African cinema, which lacks visibility. It will enable African filmmakers who are struggling to make a name for themselves. Ladj Ly's film also stood out. He is a Franco-Malian director who is close to the realities of the region in which he lives and talks about a subject he knows very well. I hope that these two awards, these two recognitions, will help to boost and change the image we have of African cinema.
Local production is growing more and more, movie theaters are being reborn… We are seeing a revival of the 7th Art in Africa. How do you view this? How has cinema evolved?
In terms of television, it's true that thanks to the rise of digital technology, young people have become very involved in cinema because it's easier. It's true that it's easier with digital technology, but young people mustn't fall into the trap of making films without necessarily taking the time to do so.
These young talents need to take the time to write their story, craft a good script, work well with the actors, and prepare their film properly. Everything that goes into making a film needs to be worked on thoroughly. Making a film takes time. I also think that these films and the stories they tell need to speak to everyone in order to be understood. In this sense, I think the films of Mati Diop and Ladj Ly deal with themes that can be understood both on the continent and in the West. The younger generation of filmmakers must understand that cinema can indeed start from personal stories, but it must be universal, based on stories that can be understood by everyone, that touch and make the greatest number of people think. Stories that will make people want to take an interest and go and see what is happening on the other side.
What obstacles remain? What needs to be done to encourage the development of cinema in French-speaking Africa?
Money is still the key issue. Making a film is still very complicated. It requires a lot of human investment first, and then financial investment. In Africa, our leaders need to understand that investing in cinema is important. Cinema is a real industry and our governments need to understand that. A film is a team of people working together, it is an identity that can be shown, exported, and shared. It is also a culture that we sell. In this sense, our governments should feel more concerned and not put culture at the bottom of their list of priorities. Of course, there are other priorities in Africa, particularly in the field of health, but culture and its development can help to address other issues and raise awareness. As for young talent, I would like to say that they must hold on and not give up.
What are your future plans?
I will continue my work as an actress and director and also put my energy into a project that is close to my heart. This involves setting up an association, Maimundi, to help children with Down's syndrome and autism. It will be a center that will help these children through cultural activities such as theater, cinema, and the arts in general, with the aim of changing attitudes.