Africa is on the verge of reviving its cinema industry.
The 1990s saw the successive closure of various theaters in major cities across French-speaking Africa, depriving populations of access to popular cinema. However, in recent years, theater renovations and the creation of multiplexes have been on the rise across the continent. The various theaters opening their doors are part of African networks such as the Majestic cinemas in Côte d'Ivoire or international networks such as CanalOlympia, owned by France's Vivendi.
The state of cinema in French-speaking Africa
This revival of movie theaters in French-speaking Africa is being driven by several players.
In addition to the movie theaters of the French Institutes, there are also private initiatives offering culture and entertainment on the big screen to an ever-growing middle class and youth population.
On a pan-African scale, Vivendi group operator CanalOlympia has deployed a network of 12 complexes across seven countries in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. CanalOlympia now boasts operational movie theaters in Guinea, Cameroon, Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Benin, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, and Togo. It offers a diverse program of recent films, including American blockbusters, major French releases, and African films. The creation of this network is part of Vivendi's strategy to strengthen its presence in fast-growing markets where a middle class with an ever-increasing appetite for content is emerging.
In Côte d'Ivoire, the Majestic group aims to democratize cinema in the country. Since 2015, Majestic has been opening more and more theaters in the country, with the Ivoire, Sococé, and Prima complexes, and soon the Majestic complex in Yopougon. And the number of admissions to the group's cinemas continues to increase every year. This is a success for Majestic, which is seeing a real enthusiasm among the Ivorian public for the renaissance of cinema.
We want cinema in Côte d'Ivoire to be entertainment that is accessible to all. We want to educate the generation that did not grow up with cinema, but also those who were lucky enough to experience the golden age when movie theaters were everywhere in Abidjan, to embrace this healthy leisure activity and make it part of their consumption habits. "
says Nancy Aka, Marketing and Sales Director of Majestic Cinemas.
Read: Interview with Nancy Aka, Sales and Marketing Director of Majestic Cinemas
Gaumont Pathé, the leading cinema operator in France, will also be involved. The group's first complex is due to open soon in Tunis, while a second complex is under construction in Abidjan.
In Dakar, 2018 saw the opening of the Sembène-Ousmane Complex at the end of March. This new complex was initiated by the Saleh Group, a Senegalese investor and developer of the Magicland amusement park. It comprises three movie theaters with a total of 500 seats, with programming focused on African and international cinema.
New projects are also underway to revive the art of cinema
on the continent. In Burkina Faso, a leading country for its national cinema with a pan-African influence, initiatives are being taken to renovate movie theaters. A participatory project has been in place since June 2017 to revive the Ciné Guimbi, a cinema that closed in 2003. The Association de Soutien du Cinéma burkinabè (Burkinabe Cinema Support Association) is backing the project, which is partly funded by crowdfunding, with a view to building a two-screen cinema complex with a capacity of 498 seats.
Democratizing cinema
Other players are also working to revive cinema in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.
The Walt Disney Company, a major global media and entertainment player, is gradually expanding its activities in the region. For the time being, the company is focusing on Tunisia, Morocco, and Côte d'Ivoire, but intends to expand into other countries on the continent, such as Senegal, Cameroon, and Algeria. On the cinema front, last February the company organized the Marvel Festival in Abidjan in collaboration with the Majestic group to mark the theatrical release of the film "Black Panther.
" "We encourage and will continue to encourage all initiatives that will enable the development of movie theaters in Africa, notably by providing our Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel films. There are many projects underway today in the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa, and it is essential that these projects come to fruition so that African audiences can find their way back to the movie theaters,"
said Jean-François Camilleri, President of The Walt Disney Company France, in an interview with Adweknow.
Players such as Canal+ are also involved in promoting African cinema. For the third consecutive year, Canal+ Benin organized the 2018 edition of its "traveling caravan" of films in Benin. The event aims to democratize access to cinema for as many people as possible, especially those living in the most remote areas of Benin.