Gondwana City Productions is celebrating its 10th anniversary. How would you sum up these ten years of activity?
When I look back, I can only be delighted. The results are more than positive because we have overcome every challenge we have faced since our creation in Abidjan. We know Africa, where everything seems easy, where everything needs to be done, but above all, you have to know this Africa and take it step by step to last over time. One of the main challenges underlying what we do is the organization and professionalization of the comedy and comedian sector. To meet this challenge, we had to prove ourselves: we first created a pan-African comedy festival, Abidjan Capitale du Rire
, to give comedians the opportunity to perform in front of an audience.
Then we launched the pan-African show Le Parlement du Rire
, open to all African comedians. This show has become a real media platform and has provided international visibility to all the comedians who are now part of a credible and recognized elite. In addition, there is the feature film Bienvenue au Gondwana,
produced by Mandarin Production
. It is the first film shot in Côte d'Ivoire after many years of crisis. A symbol of renewal, Côte d'Ivoire has now become a leading country in audiovisual production.
Finally, for the people of Abidjan, we opened a Comedy Club to allow local comedians to perform regularly on stage.
To top it all off, in 2021 we launched the African Comedy Awards
. It was time for us to organize this ceremony to reward these comedians and encourage them to continue.
The perception of African audiences, African politicians, and African economic actors has changed, and comedians are now considered professionals.
And for you, Catherine Guérin, co-founder of Gondwana City Productions… ?
When I look back on the last 10 years, I can only conclude that we have succeeded in professionalizing not only the profession of comedian, but also the professions of technician and production staff, which did not exist before. We have supported the development of these professions and provided training for them. We have contributed to the professionalization of the production ecosystem and, little by little, we have earned the respect of those involved in the entertainment industry. I am proud of that. Today, people trust us and know that even though it's comedy, it's serious business!
What
is your greatest achievement? What obstacle have you had to face?
Our greatest achievement is seeing African comedians become proud of their profession. And I do mean profession. Thanks to all our activities, comedians have become admired figures and can make a living from their passion. But it is also an obstacle because there is still a lot to be done. The comedy industry is still not taken seriously, even though we have managed to get sponsors and show organizers to respect the artists and to professionalize them through contracts.
How do you view the development of the comedy industry on the continent? Where are we today?
It is developing very quickly, thanks in particular to social media and television. Le Parlement du Rire, which is a highly publicized show, shows that there is real emulation. Younger people are no longer afraid to embark on a career in comedy. This is a first step, even if it is still too informal. To this end, we are trying to instill a number of standards in terms of production, work, and respect for artists and the public.
What impact does Gondwana City Productions have today on the professionalization of the comedy sector in Africa?
Based on the feedback we receive, comedians are considered true artists thanks to Gondwana City Productions. Human relationships with artists are essential, both professionally and personally. The media and the public also see that our shows are done by the book, from Africa, with an African team!
What does the future hold for Gondwana City Productions?
The future looks promising. We always have projects in progress and in preparation. We have the Abidjan Capitale du Rire festival, the Parlement du Rire, the Sans Visa European tour, the African Comedy Awards, the Comedy Club… Other projects will be added to this list because the sector is promising.
Our ambitions: the comedy school project we are working on, but we are also starting to move into fiction with projects for television series and digital platforms. These projects will be carried out on an international scale, but always with this African ambition. We want to consolidate our work in TV entertainment.
We want to promote the continent, tell African stories and make them universal.
How are your two recent projects developing: your video platform and your school project to train talent?
The platform is progressing well and every day users are discovering our content. It is a platform created in co-production with Darksmile. Our ambition is to feed it more and more to satisfy our audiences who cannot access our content via CANAL+ Afrique packages.
As for our school project, it is also progressing. We are currently working on the financing aspect of this ambitious project aimed at young people in a country marked by major geopolitical, economic, and climatic challenges. This school is vital.