Although financing and training are major challenges for the development of audiovisual production in French-speaking Africa, African production has a bright future ahead of it. The advent of digital terrestrial television, economic liberalization and growth, the rise of the middle class, and the development of digital technology are multiplying opportunities for the development of audiovisual production in French-speaking Africa, particularly local production. To appeal to the African middle class, players who produce and/or acquire programs in French-speaking Africa have focused on Africanizing content.
New productions in French-speaking countries
Canal+, which has more than 3 million subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa, kicked off 2018 with the launch of a new magazine, "Bonjour Santé," Africa's new health program co-produced by Canal+ and 17 Juin Média and broadcast as part of Mardis de l'Afrique.
With A+ Créations, Canal+ International is continuing its commitment to supporting African production through the daily broadcast of original French-language series co-produced by A+. Directed by Jean Roke Patoudem of Patou Films International, the original series AISSA was launched in March 2018. It is the first musical series from French-speaking Africa. It is an original idea by Beninese Kodjo Houngbeme, produced in a 26-episode format.
Canal+ is also playing the comedy card with the short series Kongossa Télécom, launched in April. Co-produced by Canal+ International and On Est Ensemble Productions (Gabon), this production is the first series project to emerge from the call for applications for the MDR! project, launched in 2015 by CANAL+ and CFI, the French media development agency, to identify and train the African talents of tomorrow.
More recently, the channel has chosen to bring viewers together around the series "Capitales Africaines" (African Capitals), which showcases Africa's major cities. After an initial episode dedicated to Bamako, this pan-African production, which will tour several major cities in French-speaking Africa such as Yaoundé and Niamey, is the result of a collaboration between A+ and Scénarii, an Ivorian audiovisual production company.
TV5Monde is also very active in the field of African production. In September, two new magazines were launched: "Bonne Santé," the health program in Africa, an essential factor in development and economic growth. This new 26-minute magazine program was co-produced by On est ensemble productions and Tétramédia studios; "Les Maternelles d'Afrique," a 26-minute magazine program dedicated to families, produced by YoBo Studios.
Read: Interview with Angela Aquereburu, Director of the production company YoBo Studios
On June 25, TV5Monde Afrique also launched the popular Congolese saga River Hotel, created and directed by Didier Ndenga and produced by HD Production. The series consists of 52 episodes, each lasting 26 minutes. "More than just a work of fiction with room for improvement, the River Hotel series holds the promise of a bright future for different genres that showcase talent. As an international broadcaster, we now need to be more effective in supporting African series by investing more in multilateral co-productions within the French-speaking world,"
said Sandra Basset, Deputy Head of TV5Monde's Africa Division, in an interview with Adweknow.
Read: Interview with Sandra Basset, Deputy Head of TV5Monde's Africa Division
"Invisibles," international recognition
At the 20th La Rochelle Fiction Festival held last September, the series "Invisibles" received the award for best foreign French-language fiction.
"Invisibles" is a television series about "microbes," gangs of delinquent children whose violent crimes make the front pages of the media in Côte d'Ivoire. This is a social phenomenon that affects not only Côte d'Ivoire but also many large cities in Africa. This 10-episode, 52-minute fiction series, directed by Alex Ogou, was produced by TSK Studios (Côte d'Ivoire) and Canal+ International.
Interview with Nameïta Lica Toure, Production Manager at TSK Studios
This is the first time in the history of the festival that an African drama has won this prestigious award, which was unanimously awarded by the jury members: there will be a before and after "Invisibles," a series that proves it is possible to produce quality dramas despite the budgetary constraints of the African audiovisual industry.
Series are told on the web
Last February, Ivorian actress Nastou Traoré from the famous troupe "Les Guignols d'Abidjan" launched a new web series entitled #Allômacopine.
Produced in partnership with Dailymotion, this web series consists of 5-minute clips featuring the famous actress in a telephone conversation with one of her friends. "Affairs," current events, women's secrets, social issues, and relationship stories are the main topics of conversation. This web series is part of Dailymotion Africa's strategy to promote new web talent and contribute to the creation of quality content.
"Pakgne," the Cameroonian web series that made a name for itself online, was teleported last March to the pan-African channel Voxafrica. This Cameroonian web series, first broadcast on YouTube, stars Marcelle Kuetche and Murielle Blanche, alias "Poupina" and "Mandeffo," who humorously offer a glimpse into the daily lives of two young Cameroonian women, filled with worries. Since July 2017, the two young actresses have been entertaining internet users with their web series combining humor and "Kongossa." It's a successful formula that has attracted the attention of a large audience in French-speaking Africa. Since the web series was created, each episode posted has received between 200,000 and 300,000 views. The first episode of season 2 has exceeded 400,000 views on YouTube via their channel, which has more than 80,000 subscribers. This success has led the two actresses to sign an exclusive distribution contract for their web series "Pakgne" with the pan-African channel Voxafrica.