Born in 1958, Burkinabe Boubakar GALBANI is one of the designers of the monument standing proudly at the mythical Filmmakers’ Square which has become a true emblem of FESPACO, not to say Burkina Faso. Boubakar told us about the creation of the monument.
“The monument represents a camera with its lens pointing the sky. This is how we wanted. The monument as we see it today was built in February 1987. This model was chosen from among several proposals by the architects and sculptors of the time. They came to me so that I could design it. We were two weeks ahead of the festival. The monument was designed and developed in a metallurgical plant called ACMD at Kossodo in Ouagadougou, and then transported to the roundabout near the City Hall. Transport from Kossodo to City Hall was a real headache because at that time there was only one crane in the entire country. We called on the Gendarmerie to clear out the way for the passage of the monument. The unveiling of the monument was scheduled for the day of the festival and authorities had planned a helicopter to remove the large tarpaulin covering the structure. Unfortunately, the helicopter did not show up on that day and we had to pull this gigantic tarpaulin barehanded. The structure is 12m25 high, weights 10 tons and entirely made of metal sheet 4 with large pipes inside. The base is made of reinforced concrete. The plate with names of all the technicians who worked of the structure was set by myself bare-handed”. Boubacar GALBANI who retired to his village Garango came to introduce himself on the occasion of the 27th edition of FESPACO for us to remember the artisans of this monument. He would like to see them involved in the libation ceremony for the upcoming editions.
LECHAT !
