Department: Arts and Culture, South Africa

Home

Feedback

Sitemap

African Film Summit Johannesburg 3 - 6 April 2006

“We hope this initiative will assist in bringing African Filmmakers together to engage towards the development of a common policy for film and towards crafting a strategy that will inform NEPAD and the African Union”.
Dr Pallo Jordan Minister of Arts and Culture (South Africa)

“The overall purpose and specific objectives of the Summit are in line with the African Union Commission’s action lines for the field of Culture, the Commission endorses the Summit as an opportunity for film practitioners and relevant institutions to begin working towards the launching of the Pan African Audio Visual Commission” H.E Adv. Bience Gawanas, Commissioner for Social and Cultural Affairs, African Union

The African Film Summit: C/o The National film and Video Foundation
2nd Floor, 87 Central Street, Houghton, South Africa
Private Bag X04, Northlands, 2116, South Africa
Tel: +27 11 483 0880 Fax: +27 11 483 0881 Website: www.nfvf.co.za
Contact: Lebone Maema – Project Manager

About the Summit

The Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) of South Africa in association with the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI), will host the first African Film Summit as well as the General Congress of FEPACI, in Johannesburg from the 3rd to the 6th of April 2006.

The Summit will host over 150 delegates including, some of the continents most prolific audio visual professionals, representatives of national film associations, including the regional secretaries and secretary general of FEPACI, representatives from film institutions in the Diaspora, representatives of guilds and unions, continental and national government institutions, as well as and other key stakeholders.

The South African government has taken the initiative to host the African Film Summit as a result of a request from FEPACI and on the basis of the recommendations of the African Union Commission’s appeal for:

“the participation of the African Union, the RECs (Regional Economic Communities ), African Governments, the private sector and the civil society to take appropriate steps, in conjunction with the Pan-African Federation of Film-makers, FEPACI, URTNA, MASA, FESPACO and all stakeholders to hold consultations and conduct preliminary studies with a view to establishing an African Commission on the Audiovisual and Cinema industries, as well as a Fund to promote the cinema industry and television programmes in Africa“ (Decisions of the Assembly of the AU, Second Ordinary Session, 10-12 July 2003, Maputo, Mozambique)

Key Objectives

The key objective for hosting the African film Summit and the FEPACI congress is to create a platform where various key stakeholders can engage with each other and continue dialogue towards:

Analysing the state of African cinema across the continent within the context of the global order of the cultural industries.
Evaluating the successes and challenges of national and regional film industries and interrogating the performance of African countries against international benchmarks and Conventions
Streamlining activities across the continent that are aimed at developing the African Audio Visual industries
Providing a new mandate for FEPACI to act within the NEPAD context and addressing the capacity requirements of FEPACI that are necessary to carry out the new mandate.
Proposing a way forwards on how to begin the implementation process on various instruments, motions, proposals, declarations and resolutions made and signed by the OAU and AU regarding cultural industries in general and the audio visual industry in particular.
Assessing the desirability of the drafting and adoption of an African convention on collaboration African Convention on Audio Visual collaboration and cooperation as a legally binding Pan-African agreement between member states of the African Union and as an instrument that declares the common purpose and objectives and implementation plans of these member states for the development of the Pan African audio visual industries.
Formulating recommendations and resolutions which will be presented to the meeting of the African Cultural Ministers in respect of the place of film in the AU and NEPAD agenda for sustainable growth and development

Date, Location and Participants

The Summit will take place from the 3RD to the 6TH of April 2006 in Johannesburg South Africa and host 150 delegates including:

representatives of national film associations,
the regional secretaries and secretary general of FEPACI,
representatives from film institutions in the Diaspora,
representatives of guilds and unions
continental and national government institutions
audio visual professionals and other key stakeholders

The FEPACI General Conference will take place on the 6tTHof April and host delegates including

the regional secretaries and secretary general of FEPACI,
key members of FEPACI
and key invited guests

Stakeholders

The key stakeholders towards the summit are:

DAC
NFVF
South African government departments - DTI, DFA, DOC
African Union and respective commissions
NEPAD and Secretariat
FEPACI
Regional Economic Councils
Representatives of other African Governments
Representatives of select Non African countries
Funders and sponsors
Filmmakers, distributors, broadcasters, exhibitors and other film practitioners
Relevant local and continental cultural Institutions and organizations
National and continental industry organizations
Media

Organisational Structure

The organizational structure for the Summit is as follows:

The African Film Summit steering committee is chaired by the Department of Arts and Culture and comprised of representatives and senior officials of the following institutions, organizations and government departments:

Department of Arts and Culture
National Film and Video Foundation CEO
Federation of Pan African Filmmakers
NEPAD
The African Union Commission
Department of Foreign Affairs
Department of Trade and Industry
Department of Communication
Department of Home Affairs
Independent Producers organization

And the Summit organizing committee is comprised of

The CEO of the NFVF as its Chairman and other senior NFVF officials
The DAC Director for Multimedia
The African Film Summit Project Manager.
The FEPACI regional secretary as key liaison with FEPACI and its members and affiliates
AU Commission senior official
NEPAD Secretariat senior
Official from the Department of foreign affairs
and two industry representatives

Summit Format and Agenda

The Summit organising committee has proposed that the Summit be session based with various moderated and panel led discussions, presentations and key note addresses on select themes and topics that reflect the key vision, mission and objectives of hosting the Summit

The discussion themes and topics will include:

The historical challenges of African cinema. This session will be spearheaded by a panel of elders, The Pioneers of African cinema including among others Ousmane Sembene, Haile Gerima, Med Hondo, Cheik Omar Cissoko and Souleyman Cissé,
An introduction to the discussions and presentation of the Programme by the Summit Moderator and chairperson of the organizing committee
Fact or Fiction - An overview of Production, Distribution and exhibition across the continent. Regional presentations on the state of the Audio Visual industry in Africa, challenges for the future
Towards a common vision and common voice. A presentation and discussion on facilitating unity among African filmmakers – towards a common vision and common voice. A discussion on the history, challenges and future of Pan African of filmmakers’ organizations and associations.
The role of the State in the development of the African film/ audio visual industries. A discussion and presentation on the development of National film policies and the legitimizing of state support and funding for African Film Industries, the setting up national film institutions, Examples from Burkina Faso, Mali, South Africa and other African countries
The role of broadcasters, in the development of the African audio visual industries. A special focus on the role of National and Public Services Broadcast
The role of the African Union and NEPAD in the development of African Audio Visual Industries and an assessment of the desirability and necessity of Pan African instruments that can facilitate development. A discussion on the Objectives, theoretical and practical implications, logistics, modalities, expected results, agenda, documents and work methods towards the African convection on cinematographic collaboration, the “African Commission on the Audiovisual and Cinema industries, as well as a Fund to promote the cinema industry and television programmes in Africa”

Expected Output

The most ideal outcome of the African Film Summit is that the recommendations that are made and resolutions that are adopted should be tabled at the next Meeting of African Cultural Ministers, as the most appropriate political platform for the resolutions to be adopted as part of African Union and NEPAD programmes. The organising committee is currently consulting with a select panel of experts and consultants and requesting them to develop discussion documents and advisory reports that will be contextualize and set the tone and parameters for the discussions at the summit as per the above objectives, themes and topics.

The steering comm. will review the documents and they will be sent to all participants in the first week of March. At the summit, the participants will present their views on the documents with the intention of developing a agreed upon document that will be presented by the South African Minister of Arts and Culture to the Meeting of African Ministers of Arts and Culture as well as to the AU and NEPAD secretariat

The documents are to detail the desirability and implementation plan towards the development of the African convention on audio visual co operation, an international agreement legitimizing strategies for continuing to state and support aid to film industry. These documents will declare a common purpose, objectives and strategies ratified by members of a pan organization. A legally binding pan African agreement between member states of the African Union. It is hoped that this process will provide the impetus in the various countries across the continent to implement the resolutions and recommendations of the summit as part of NEPAD at the continental level and at the national level by individual countries.

How Do I Find Out More

The summit will be a closed forum of invited delegates. All participants will be invited by the organizing committee. Should you be interested in, finding out more information about the Summit, please contact the Project Manager, Lebone Maema on the following telephone number or email: Tel: + 27 11 483 0880, Email: lebonem@nfvf.co.za

Background Info

At FESPACO 2003 (The Pan African Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso,) the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) and the National Film and Video Foundation ( NFVF) – an institution established to develop and promote the South African film industry, initiated discussions with FEPACI (the Federation of African Filmmakers) to explore the potential for the participation of the NFVF and the South African government in the creation of a platform to continue the dialogue regarding the establishment of the African Commission on the Audiovisual and Cinema industries as well as the restructuring of FEPACI as a Pan-African Federation of Film Associations.
The General Assem¬bly of members of FEPACI welcomed the proposal. It was then suggested that South Africa host an African Film Summit including the next general conference of FEPACI at a date to be confirmed by the Summit Steering Committee.
Cognizant of the AU’s requests and following the meeting at FESPACO 2003, the DAC and the NFVF invited a delegation from the Burkina Faso Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Tourism and representatives from FEPACI to the Southern African International Film and TV Market known as Sithengi, in Cape Town. It was during this visit, that the DAC, NFVF and FEPACI discussed the formation of an initial steering committee comprising of the DAC, NFVF, and FEPACI, representatives of the NEPAD Secretariat, other relevant government departments, and institutions in preparation for the proposed African Film Summit.
On November 15, 2004 a planning meeting was held at Sithengi to prepare a submission for FESPACO 2005. This meeting was attended by Mr. Jacques Behanzin, Secretary General of FEPACI, Mr. Morabane Modise Regional Secretary of FEPACI, Ms. Lindi Ndebele-Koka and Mr. Lebone Maema of the DAC, Mr. Eddie Mbalo, CEO of NFVF, Mr. Dimitri Martinis, Senior Manager: Policy at the NFVF, Ms. Gina Bonmariage, Senior Manager: Human Capital Development at the NFVF, Ms. Jackie Motsepe, Senior Manager: Marketing at the NFVF, and Mr. Thami Nxasana, the Strategy advisor and Programmes manager at the NFVF. The meeting deliberated about the objectives and logistics of the proposed African Film Summit and deliberated on the objectives of the Summit.
At Fespaco 2005, the DAC hosted a workshop towards the hosting of the African Film Summit in South Africa. The workshop was held on the 3rd March 2005, following the decision made at a November planning meeting that was held at Sithengi to open the discussions of an African Film Summit and to inform film and audio-visual practitioners as well as stakeholders. The workshop was therefore intended to be a forum to discuss the rationale, aims, objectives and framework towards the African film Summit. The workshop was attended by representatives of national film associations, the regional secretaries and secretary general of FEPACI, representatives from film institutions in the Diaspora, Audio Visual Professionals and representatives of guilds and unions as well as other film practitioners from across the continent.
The DAC and NFVF in association with FEPACI received overwhelming support and encouragement to proceed with preparations towards the summit. Many participants argued that it would be foolhardy of African Film Practitioners to turn down an opportunity for all relevant stakeholders in the industry to regroup and focus their energy on working together to develop mechanisms to build a strong Pan African industry.
The Department of Arts and Culture and the South African Government were applauded by the workshop participants for proposing to provide a platform in the form of the African film Summit which will allow various key stakeholders to engage with each other towards streamlining activities across the continent that are aimed at developing the African film industries, a platform that will consolidate the historic, political and practical aspects that have been taking place over the past 15 to 20 years.
The Department of Arts and Culture and the South African Government were commended for taking the initiative to provide a platform to propose a way forwards on how to begin the implementation process on various instruments, motions, proposals, declarations and resolutions made and signed by the OAU and AU regarding cultural industries in general and the audio visual industry in particular. The most important of these declarations being the African Union’s Commissions request for : “the participation of the African Union, regional economic councils, African governments, the private sector and the civil society in the activities towards the establishment of the Pan African Audiovisual Commission, as well as a Fund to promote the cinema industry and television programmes in Africa. ”

Brief History of the Federation of African Filmmakers – FEPACI

1966- 69

A week before being awarded the prestigious Order of Ikhamanga - for excellence in the fields of arts and culture by President Thabo Mbeki in December 2003, pioneer South African filmmaker Dr Lionel Ngakane, passed away at age 75.

In 1966, while in exile in London, Dr Lionel Ngakane was invited to a symposium on Third World Cinema organized by the Socialist Party of Austria in Vienna. The symposium provided a meeting opportunity for African filmmakers from across the Diaspora. After formal and informal discussions about common problems that African film makers experienced in funding and producing their films, as well as securing adequate distribution on the continent, the few delegates at the symposium begun to discuss the idea of founding an African filmmaker’s organisation.

Among the first few of these pioneers advocates for African cinema were

Ousmane Sembène (Senegal),
Gaston Kaboré (Burkina Faso),
Timité Bassori
Djibril Diop Mambety Senegal,
Youssef Chahine Egypt
Med Hondo - Mauritania
Idrissa Ouedraogo - Burkina Faso
Souleymane Cisse - Mali
Haile Gerima - Ethiopia

1970

The Federation of African Filmmakers (FEPACI) is inaugurated and hosts its first congress at the Journees Cine¬matographic de Carthage (The Carthage Film Festival in Tunis). From its inception, FEPACI is seen as a sister organization to the OAU. Membership is open to National Associations of Filmmakers.

1975

The Second FEPACI congress is held in Algiers. FEPACI was growing in membership yet there were no African film industries of pro¬duction, distribution and exhibition. There were concerns and a need to reassess the role played by governments in their indigenous film industries.

It was at this congress that the filmmakers looked at the role of film in the politico-economic and cultural development of African states and the continent as a whole. The Charter of African Film-makers was promulgated at this congress.

1982

At the Third Congress, seven year later in Niamey, it was agreed that FEPACI had lost its dynamism after the 1975 congress. The dissension of young filmmakers who called themselves Le Collectif l’Oeil Vert at the 1981 FESPACO (Ouagadougou Film Festival) was among the main contentious issues at the congress of 1982. The young filmmakers charged that FEPACI did little to help filmmakers other than involve them in administrative red tape.

FEPACI founding members under the leadership of Ousmene Sembene made a plea that there was no need to form new organization and that the Niamey congress instead focus on creating a reunited FEPACI. It was at this congress that the filmmakers drew up the now famous Niamey Manifesto.

Among its main objectives, FEPACI identified the following as key priorities:

developing national film productions and co-productions across the continent
Encouraging the forma¬tion of National associations and the associations in turn being encouraged to be more influential in the forma¬tion of their national government’s film policies and the creation of national film corporations
Persuading governments to recognise the importance of cinema in the social, economic and cultural education of their populations, and to adopt cinema policies that stimulate the development of cinema in their countries and regionally
stimulating film productions by independent film makers and also through co-productions
striving to have African films distributed throughout the continent, primarily, and internationally, as a secondary aim
Having at least two regional (international standard) film schools to cater for Francophone and for Anglophone students.

FEPACI members left from Niamey having committed themselves to make socio-political films, what one former member of Le Collectif l’Oeil Vert: Sanou Kollo called a socially engaged film aesthetic.

1985 – 1989 - 1993

Congresses which were to follow the Niamey Congress were merely business related. They followed the constitution to have the Congress every four years. Goston Kabore was the General Secretary for the period. He had good links with the Burkina Faso government. However, it was not after the 1993 Congress that he made an agreement with the government to help the Head Office of FEPACI to subsume it putting it to the level of a Para-state body to relief the organization of its financial problems. Members Associations were not paid up with their subscriptions and the office could not run properly. The government agreed to make a contribution by including salaries of people employed in FEPACI Head Office in its payroll like they were government workers.

1997

The 1997 Congress brought another dimension to the Federation. Again a group of young Filmmakers most of who were living outside Africa was concerned that the constitution was not inclusive of them. They were also arguing that developments in the technologies are such that most filmmakers were working on video and other such new mediums as digital. There was also concern that Associations did not exist as such. There was a feeling that the constitution of FEPACI needs to be revisited to bring it at par with new developments in filmmaking. The congress was not concluded. Again Sembene intervened in the same way of arguing the need to discuss and not form duplicate organizations. A committee was set up to look into re-formulating the constitution.

2001 – 2003

During the FESPACO 2001 The Pan African Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, at an extrodinary meeting of congress (the Congress Extraordinaire de Refondation de FEPACI), the committee presented results of its work and ratified changes into the new FEPACI constitution.

At FESPACO, in 2003, the South African Department of Arts and Culture and the National Film and Video Foundation initiated discussions with FEPACI to explore the potential for the participation of the NFVF and South African government in the restructuring of FEPACI as a Pan-African Federation of Film Associations.

The General Assem¬bly of members of FEPACI welcomed the proposal and requested the delegates of South Africa to host an African Film Summit and the next general conference of FEPACI in South Africa.

In response, the DAC and the NFVF invited a delegation from the Burkina Faso Ministry of Cinematography and representatives from FEPACI to Sithengi 2003 in Cape Town. It was during this visit, that the DAC, NFVF and FEPACI discussed the formation of an initial steering committee comprising of the DAC, NFVF, and FEPACI, representatives of the NEPAD Secretariat, other relevant government departments, institutions and industry organizations.

On November 15, 2004 a planning meeting was held at Sithengi 2004. The meeting deliberated about planning and organizing the African Film Summit. The meeting was attended by Mr. Jacques Behanzin, Secretary General of FEPACI, Mr. Morabane Modise Regional Secretary of FEPACI, Ms. Lindi Ndebele and Mr. Lebone Maema of the DAC, Mr. Eddy Mbalo, CEO of NFVF, Mr. Dimitri Martinis Senior Manager Policy NFVF, Ms. Gina Bonmariage, Senior Manager Human Capital Development at the NFVF, Ms. Jackie Motsepe, Senior Manager at the NFVF, Thami Nxasana of iZiko-Lo-Lwazi, the Strategy advisor and Programmes consultant at the NFVF.

Over the years, FEPACI achieved the following successes:

The establishment of FESPACO
The seminar of film in 1984.
The Nairobi First Film Week in terms of the Resolution 1120 by Head of States of the OAU.
The establishment of the Southern African Film Festival (SAFF) in 1990
The Benin symposium on African Cinema in 1990.
The distribution workshop in Victoria Falls in 1993.
The founding of Southern African Broadcasters Associations in 1993.
Contribution to the founding of Sithengi in 1994.
The founding of Zanzibar International Film Festival in 1995/6.
The Agreement by the African heads of states in Maputo on the principle of the establishment of the Audio Visual and Cinema Committee in 2003.

Decisions of the Assembly of the AU, Second Ordinary Session,
10-12 July 2003, Maputo, Mozambique

EX/CL/Dec.69(III)
Page 1

Decision on the Establishment of an African Audiovisual and Cinema Commission

The Executive Council:

TAKES NOTE of the report;
URGES Member States and the private sector to implement the relevant provisions of the Dakar Plan of Action on Cultural Industries as adopted by the OAU Assembly of Heads of State and Government meeting in July 1992 in Dakar, Senegal;
REQUESTS the Commission of the African Union to take appropriate steps, in conjunction with the Pan-African Federation of Film-makers, FEPACI, URTNA, MASA, FESPACO and all stakeholders to hold consultations and conduct preliminary studies with a view to establishing an African Commission on the Audiovisual and Cinema as well as a Fund to promote the cinema industry and television programmes in Africa;
FURTHER REQUESTS the Commission to ensure that the statutes of these structures facilitate the participation of the African Union, the RECs, African Governments, the private sector and the civil society in the activities of these structures.

Organisational of Organisational De L’unite African Unity Africaine

Secretariat
P.O. Box 3243 B. P. 3243
Addis Ababa

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS CM/ST.24 (XLVI)
Forty-sixth Ordinary Session CM/Res.1091 – CM/Res.1127
(XLVI)

20 – 25 July, 1987
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
STATEMENT AND RESOLUTIONS
ADOPTED BY THE 46TH ORDINARY SESSION
OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

Resolution on the Development
of Film and endogenous and
Non-Endogenous Cultural
Industries

CM/Res.1120 (XLVI)

Resolution on the Development of Film and Endogenous and Non-Endogenous Cultural Industries

The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its Forty-sixth Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 20 to 25 July 1987,

Recalling the relevant provisions of the cultural Charter for Africa,

Recalling Declaration AHG/Decl.1 (XXI) on the Cultural Aspects of the Lagos Plan of Action for Africa’s Economic Development adopted by the Twenty-first Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in July. 1985,

Recalling Resolution CMAC/Res.3 (I) and CMAC/Res.13 (I) adopted by the Conference of African Ministers of culture held in Port-Louis, Mauritius in April, 1985,

Considering the need for improved organization of endogenous and nonendogenous cultural industries with a view to streamlining them in accordance with the Lagos Plan of Action and the African Priority Programme for Economic Recovery to adequately take into account the cultural dimension of development,

Having considered and adopted the report of the Secretary-General on film and endogenous and non-endogenous cultural industries in Africa (Document CM/1439 (XLVI)):

RECOMMENDS:

that the OAU establish and implement a programme of activities on the basis of the conclusions of the report adopted by the Council of Ministers without forgetting to complete the study on the other aspects of cultural industries;
Member States take the necessary steps to ensure a better organization and development of the film and cultural industrial sector based on the above report by particularly strengthening and expanding the Inter-African Film Distribution Consortium (IFCD) and the Inter-African Film Production Consortium (IFPC) based in Ouagadougou, (Burkina Faso);
Inter-governmental African cultural organizations and African economic integration bodies give special attention to cultural films and industries as cultural and economic development factors and take the necessary steps on the basis of the conclusions of the report referred to above;

REQUESTS international organizations and African financial institutions to provide assistance to OAU, its Member States as well as to the African professional organizations concerned for the better organization and development of the film and cultural sector in Africa;
THANKS the UNDP for the assistance it has given OAU within the framework of project RAF/82/003;
COMMENDS the efforts African film producers and other professional organizations are making, particularly within the framework of FEPACI;
URGES them to make cinematography an instrument of liberation and socio-cultural development;
APPEALS to African producers of Cultural and Social Services to continue to improve the quality of their works.

(Banff, Alberta, Canada, June 24, 2002)

BANFF 2002 African Delegates Declaration to G8 Summit World Leaders

African delegates to this month’s Banff Television Festival have released a declaration to the G8 summit that underscores “a number of pressing issues which we hope will contribute to a successful and genuine dialogue between Africa and the G8 world leaders.” More than 80 African filmmakers, producers, directors and broadcasters attended the 23rd edition of the Festival, which included a special Focus on Africa, a prelude to the upcoming African development discussions scheduled during the G8 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.

“As media professionals, we recognize the critical importance of cultural expression as an empowering tool for people to elaborate their own development initiatives,” the statement says. “A grave danger is posed to world peace by the lack of understanding among the diverse peoples of the world about their social and economic condition. Therefore, there is an urgent need to promote avenues for mutual knowledge among the peoples of the world through mass media, freedom of expression and genuine cultural exchanges within our individual countries, between countries on the African continent and between our respective continents.”

Among the recommendations are:

the establishment and empowerment of regulatory bodies for broadcasting and telecommunications
media diversity
minimum local content quotas
development of basic telecommunications infrastructure to provide universal access to content
use of broadcast media to promote sustainable development
social messaging
creation of a self-administered Pan African Audiovisual Fund

“As filmmakers, artists, producers and broadcasters, we pledge to do everything in our power to support all initiatives that contribute meaningfully to sustainable development in Africa including NEPAD, provided that its programs reflect the genuine interests of the African peoples.”

Statement

We, a cross-section of African filmmakers and broadcasting professionals gathered in Banff on the occasion of the Banff Television Festival’s Focus on Africa, wish to draw attention to a number of pressing issues which we hope will contribute to a successful and genuine dialogue between Africa and the G8 world leaders, within the context of discussions on the NEPAD program for African development

As media professionals, we recognize the critical importance of cultural expression as an empowering tool for people to elaborate their own development initiatives. A grave danger is posed to world peace by the lack of understanding among the diverse peoples of the world about their social and economic condition. Therefore, there is an urgent need to promote avenues for mutual knowledge among the peoples of the world through mass media, freedom of expression and genuine cultural exchanges within our individual countries, between countries on the African continent and between our respective continents.

Without participation by all sectors of society, it is meaningless to talk about development and democracy. World peace and social and political stability all over the world demand access to the means of communication by all peoples, especially the marginalized sectors of our societies which at present have no voice. To ensure that a pluralistic democracy sustains itself and thrives, we need to underline a number of principles that embody the values required for the development of independent broadcasting. In this light, we acknowledge the work enshrined in the African Charter on Broadcasting and the Africa Charter on Children and Broadcasting.

We defend the establishment and empowerment of regulatory bodies for broadcasting and telecommunications whose members are appointed from civil society in an open, transparent manner, and whose functions are protected against interference or control by any particular political party, government or nation. Such regulatory bodies should aim to promote media diversity, including public, community and private broadcasters, most importantly in the areas of ownership and content. Moreover, broadcasters should be required through legislation to promote and develop minimum local content quotas.
The audiovisual medium can only thrive in an environment favourable to broad distribution of content throughout our respective countries, across our continent and the world.

Thus we demand the right to create and develop basic telecommunications infrastructure to provide our citizens with access to independent programming through alternative distribution mechanisms (satellite and broadband internet) to provide universal access to content. It is our belief that with the required financing of audiovisual infrastructure in Africa, we as broadcasters and filmmakers can begin to address numerous challenges by stimulating a process of finding solutions, thereby moving towards an equal partnership between Africa and the rest of the world. Adequate development of broadcast media in Africa along the right lines will help the continent to tackle and overcome some of the numerous impediments to our sustainable development: HIV-AIDS, access to clean water, degradation of the environment, hunger, inadequate shelter, lack of basic health and educational infrastructures, non-adherence to genuine human rights, all of which lead to the unnecessary loss of life.

Film and television have emerged as the most powerful mechanisms for social messaging. With rapidly increasing popular access to television product, development practitioners have over the last decades been investing heavily in this critically important tool for communication.

In order to harness the potential benefits of the innovative new information technology, it is therefore essential to create a self-sustained and self administered Pan African Audiovisual Fund. This fund would permit the establishment of the infrastructure required to improve production, distribution, training, and the acquisition of equipment.

As filmmakers, artists, producers and broadcasters, we pledge to do everything In our power to support all initiatives that contribute meaningfully to sustainable development in Africa including NEPAD, provided that its programs reflect the genuine interests of the African peoples.