Niger / 2001 / 5mins / Animation / Hassania

Revisiting his film from the mid 1960s, Moustapha Alassane is able to employ a new cinematic technique and develop an alternate ending that was not permitted to be viewed during the colonial period.

Moustapha Alassane

Born in N'Dougou, Niger, Moustapha Alassane first obtained a degree in Mechanics. In Niamey, he learned cinematographic techniques with Jean Rouch, who helped him to study animation with Norman McLaren in Canada. He was the creator of the first animated films from sub-Saharan Africa. The frog, the main character in his animations, highlighted his satirical eye on the social habits of his country. Many of his works also used moral satire to denounce the thirst for power and “new wealth” in Africa. He directed approximately thirty animations, documentaries and fiction films. Retrospectives of his films have been presented in the most important festivals around the world. He led the Department of Cinema of the University of Niamey for fifteen years, and was awarded the French Legion of Honor during the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. Alassane passed away in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in March 2015. Learn More