OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Most movie festivals may be counted on to offer leisure, laced with some introspection.

The weeklong FESPACO that opens Saturday in violence-torn Burkina Faso’s capital goes past that to additionally provide hope, and an emblem of endurance: In years of political strife and Islamic extremist assaults, which killed 1000’s and displaced almost 2 million within the West African nation, it is by no means been canceled.

“We solely have FESPACO left to stop us from serious about what’s happening,” mentioned Maimouna Ndiaye, a Burkinabe actress who has 4 submissions on this yr’s competitors. “That is the occasion that should not be canceled irrespective of the scenario.”

Because the final version of the biennial competition in Ouagadougou, the nation’s troubles have elevated. Successive governments’ failures to cease the extremist violence triggered two army coups final yr, with every junta chief promising safety — however delivering few outcomes.

Not less than 70 troopers had been killed in two assaults earlier this month in Burkina Faso’s Sahel area. The combating additionally has sowed discord amongst a once-peaceful inhabitants, pitting communities and ethnicities in opposition to one another.

Nonetheless, greater than 15,000 folks, together with cinema celebrities from Nigeria, Senegal and Ivory Coast are anticipated in Ouagadougou for FESPACO, Africa’s largest movie competition that was launched in 1969.

Some 1,300 movies had been submitted for consideration and 100 have been chosen to compete from 35 African international locations and the diaspora, together with motion pictures from Dominican Republic and Haiti. Almost half of these within the fiction competitors this yr are directed by girls.

Amongst them is Burkinabe director and producer Apolline Traore, whose movie “Sira” — thought of a front-runner on this yr’s competitors — is emblematic of many Burkinabes’ struggling. It tells the story of a lady’s wrestle for survival after being kidnapped by jihadis within the Sahel, as her fiancé tries to seek out her.

Nonetheless, Traore is upbeat about her nation’s prospects.

“The world has painted Burkina Faso as a pink nation. It is harmful to return to my nation, as they are saying,” she instructed The Related Press. “We’re most likely a little bit crumbled however we’re not down.”

Authorities officers say they’ve ramped up safety and can guarantee the security of competition attendees.

Many hope FESPACO will assist increase home unity and strengthen ties with different international locations, at a time when anti-French sentiment is on the rise in Burkina Faso.

Wolfram Vetter, the European Union ambassador in Burkina Faso, referred to as the movie competition “an essential contribution to peace and reconciliation in Burkina Faso and past.”

The EU is the occasion’s largest funder after the Burkinabe authorities, and has contributed roughly 250,000 euros ($265,000).