The Film and Audiovisual Centre is located in the Parish of Notre Dame de Fatima in Bangui, Central African Republic.
The idea of filmmaking emerged at Notre Dame de Fatima Parish during the darkest moments of the crisis in the Central African Republic. In fact, being target of several armed attacks during the civil war, the Parish of Notre Dame de Fatima, which served as a refuge for the surrounding population, the great majority of whom were young people, feared that these young people would sink into violence. The coordination of the youth of the parish immediately initiated listening groups that have led the young people to a deep and enlightened analysis of the crisis that their country was going through, and to understand that the situation they were experiencing was not one of inter-religious conflict. Having become aware of this, these young people decided to make a film to sensitize the population on the real stakes of this conflict in order to disarm hearts and minds. Thus, only with available means, they were able to write and direct in the midst of the war in 2014 the very first film made by the Central African youth on the conflict their country was going through. This film, "La Colombe", was screened at Notre Dame de Fatima and in many sites of internally displaced persons both in Bangui and in the interior of the country, followed by debates and reflections.
The idea of filmmaking emerged at Notre Dame de Fatima Parish during the darkest moments of the crisis in the Central African Republic. In fact, being target of several armed attacks during the civil war, the Parish of Notre Dame de Fatima, which served as a refuge for the surrounding population, the great majority of whom were young people, feared that these young people would sink into violence. The coordination of the youth of the parish immediately initiated listening groups that have led the young people to a deep and enlightened analysis of the crisis that their country was going through, and to understand that the situation they were experiencing was not one of inter-religious conflict. Having become aware of this, these young people decided to make a film to sensitize the population on the real stakes of this conflict in order to disarm hearts and minds. Thus, only with available means, they were able to write and direct in the midst of the war in 2014 the very first film made by the Central African youth on the conflict their country was going through. This film, "La Colombe", was screened at Notre Dame de Fatima and in many sites of internally displaced persons both in Bangui and in the interior of the country, followed by debates and reflections.
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If this film helped the local populations to understand the real stakes of this war in order to disarm their hearts and minds, the realization of "La Colombe" only with available means revealed the incredible talent that these young people of Fatima in particular, and in general the youth of the CAR, carry despite the lack of training and support structures in the field of the 7th Art. Thus, to meet this need, workshops in cinematography have been organized by the parish for young people from 2014 to 2019. The idea has continued step by step, strengthened by the joys and sorrows of each day. On 24 November 2019, the Parish of Notre Dame de Fatima inaugurated the Martyrs of Fatima Centre, one compound of which is dedicated to Cinematography in memory of the commendable actions of the young actors of “La Colombe” but also, and above all, to encourage the blossoming of the artistic genius of Central African youth in this field. Strengthened by the experiences lived during this terrible conflict, the Parish of Notre Dame de Fatima wants to be a very symbolic place of forgiveness and meeting of cultures that can bring youth’s talents higher.
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Film & Audiovisual Centre
(Parish of Notre Dame de Fatima-Bangui) |
Our Vision: Integral Human Development for all people everywhere.
Our objective: To contribute to the consolidation of peace through the training of film professionals and the promotion of audiovisual arts.
Our missions:
- To ensure the training of cinema professionals at all levels;
- To provide young people with a framework for training and development in the audiovisual field;
- To awaken the consciousness of citizenship through cinematographic productions on daily realities;
- To promote the socio-professional integration of young people and the development of the audiovisual industry;
- To accompany the reconciliation of the social fabric through festivals of films to promote dialogue between cultures of Notre Dame de Fatima;
- To promote cultural diversity through national, regional and international film and photography festivals.
Our objective: To contribute to the consolidation of peace through the training of film professionals and the promotion of audiovisual arts.
Our missions:
- To ensure the training of cinema professionals at all levels;
- To provide young people with a framework for training and development in the audiovisual field;
- To awaken the consciousness of citizenship through cinematographic productions on daily realities;
- To promote the socio-professional integration of young people and the development of the audiovisual industry;
- To accompany the reconciliation of the social fabric through festivals of films to promote dialogue between cultures of Notre Dame de Fatima;
- To promote cultural diversity through national, regional and international film and photography festivals.
