ARS 11 – Fanta Régina Nacro
21.4.-29.5.2011
Short Films by Fanta Régina Nacro
21.4.-29.5.2011
Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova presents three short films from Burkina Faso, an inland state located in Western Africa. The award-winning director Fanta Régina Nacro (born in 1962) has studied film-making in Burkina Faso as well as Paris, and she is one of the first women in her country working as film directors. In 1993 she founded her own production company, Les Films du Défin, which is based in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso. Fanta Régina Nacro's gentle-humoured depictions of the every-day life of African people subtly allude to, for instance, women's position, equality and the serious issue of AIDS.
Bintou 2001
Bintou, mother of three children in Ouagadougou, decides to send her daughters to school against the will of her husband, Abel. In order to do so, however, she needs to earn money... The film is a modern, humorous story about the evaluation of women and men and takes a stand on equal rights to education and employment. Bintou is part of Fanta Régina Nacro's series called ”Mama Africa”. Fespaco (A film and television festival arranged every two years in Ouagadougou) awarded the film with the price for the best short film of 2001.
Le Truc de Konaté
Diénéba is leaving for her home village from a city. Her cousin Salif bids his farewell to her and hands her presents to take back to the relatives living in the village: kola nuts, cloths and contraception equipment. Upon arrival in the village Diénéba distributes the presents and promises her husband a great present at night. She gives her husband a condom as present. Konaté becomes furious and refuses to ”wear a hat in his own house”. In spite of this Diénéba does not waver. Konaté seeks comfort from his mistress but finds out that he has become impotent. He seeks for a solution from his friends and finally from a folk healer. The healer passes on a message to Konaté from spirits: he will regain his manhood only after finding the tree that bears the ”odd fruit”, condom. Konaté embarks on the quest of finding the magical tree.
Puk Nini 1995
One day a beautiful Selegalese courtesan Astou arrives in Ouagadougou, embodying all the attractive qualities that the women from her country have. She draws men in irresistably. A wealthy dentist, Salif, leads a monotonous married life and in the manner of many others falls for Astou. His wife Isa decides to confront her rival, but the women quickly reach an understanding: Astou teaches Isa the skills of infatuating men and emptying their pockets.
Burkina Faso – The Poor Superpower of African film
Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova organises a lecture in connection with Fanta Régina Nacro's exhibition on Wednesday 4th May at 5.30 pm. Doctor of Social Sciences and media researcher Mari Maasilta is going to give a lecture on the film industry in the West African state of Burkina Faso in Finnish. A great number of films and film directors have emerged from Burkina Faso in spite of it being one the poorest countries in the world. Already since the 1960s an international festival for African film has been held in Burkina Faso, which is earlier than in any other African country.
ARS 11 is on display at the the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma 15.4.-27.11.2011. Fanta Régina Nacro's short films complement the main exhibition's theme with Africa as a satellite show in Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova museum located in Turku. ARS 11 -satellite exhibitions, altogether 11 of them, have been drawn up and produced by collaborating museums of Kiasma. Read more about the ARS 11 exhibition in Kiasma.