Africa’s largest film festival offers hope in Burkina Faso

A man walks past the entrance of the headquarters of FESPACO (Pan-African Film and Television Festival) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (Sophie Garcia/AP)

Africa’s largest film festival is being held in the West African nation of Burkina Faso amid soaring jihadi violence that has killed thousands of people and displaced nearly two million.

The week-long festival – known by its French acronym FESPACO – in the capital Ouagadougou is a symbol of endurance: in years of political strife and Islamic extremist attacks it has never been cancelled.