Bobo-Dioulasso: Retired university drama professor and director of the Burkinabè theater workshop, first general director of the SNC, Prosper Kompaoré is one of the artistic sponsors of the 21st edition of National Culture Week (SNC). In this interview, the retired university teacher gives a history lesson of the SNC that he saw born.
Sidwaya (S): A major player in the SNC since 1983, what is your view on the evolution of this cultural biennial?
Prospère Compaoré (PK) : The SNC is an event created in 1983. Today, it is really a feeling of satisfaction to see that the baby we saw born has evolved with his adolescent crises.
This baby has reached a certain stage of maturity with slightly brighter achievements and prospects. I participated in the first step in the creation of the SNC, but after me many other comrades took over and moved the event forward.
For our part, we were happy to see the first date of the SNC in Ouagadougou in December 1983. It was already something extraordinary.
You have to have exp
erienced it to understand to what extent the National Culture Week was something different from the cultural weeks that existed in the past.
It was a political desire to put culture at the heart of the concerns of the entire social body, those in charge and the authorities.
The year that followed, it was Gaoua who welcomed the SNC.
Gaoua was the SNC of all challenges. Getting there was quite a problem, the road was not passable, there was no infrastructure there, so we had to do everything.
It was necessary to make roads, develop an airport, build a performance hall, develop places to accommodate people, and more.
People were housed in containers. Everyone who was in the organization was driven by a sort of revolutionary desire, to ensure that the culture took new momentum.
This is why we were ready to accept a lot of sacrifices. We also defied a certain number of cultural problems, because we did not seek simplicity.
We wanted to cross the river with our festival-goers, we wanted to climb Young Pi hil
l with our festival-goers. To do all these things, we first had to have the blessing of the old people, so we had to respect our customs for the 2nd edition to take place.
The third challenge was to ensure that the thing did not appear as a sort of inter-ethnic competition, which is what the performing arts jury took up. This gave rise to some debates. So we explained to people that it was not a question of comparing, but rather of creating a certain number of criteria on the basis of which we could lead the different groups to progress and be competitive internationally.
Then, we participated in the 1st edition of the SNC in Bobo-Dioulasso in 1986. The new element of this edition was the contribution of masks.
Already, in 1983, there were masks, but in Bobo-Dioulasso, it was the big Boom! These masks came from different parts of our country.
At the level of the organization of the GPNAL (editor’s note Grand prix national des arts et des lettres), there was greater control of the data.
All this started f
rom the reflection which was carried out in 1985 on the evolution of the national culture week in Martoukou. HAS
After the SNC in 1986 in Bobo-Dioulasso, we found ourselves in 1988 in Koudougou and Réo.
We decided to organize concurrently in these two cities. There were still big challenges, what is interesting about the organization of the SNC is that each time, there is something new and a challenge.
In Koudougou, we were able to build the popular theater and we also created spaces for hosting events in Réo.
We commuted between these two cities, and it went very well. We had a night that we called the night of Burkinabè magic which raised a lot of expectations, but which did not live up to what we had hoped for.
Some of the traditional black magicians have not succeeded in mystifying us as we would have liked. But it also showed the diversity and richness of our culture. After Koudougou and Réo in 1988, it was SNC Bobo in 1990 where I handed over to another who took over.
Today, we are here and we see
that the SNC is starting to expand, to have a certain amount of space allocated, the support of artists during and perhaps after the SNC.
S: How do you assess the evolution of artistic performances?
PK: In terms of artistic performance, if it involves putting on plays, we have complete freedom to invent and innovate.
Regarding the representation of traditional dance and traditional artistic expression, there are a certain number of characteristics that must be safeguarded so that we can find in each of the performances the soul of the peoples who contributed to the emergence of forms of dance, songs and others. So much so that creation and innovation require know-how.
At this level, I would believe that in certain disciplines there has really been extraordinary progress. As proof, I want choreographic creation.
In terms of choreographic creation, we have very high quality shows. In terms of music it depends, there are groups that break through, that transcend and groups that are in the research phase.
I
n the field of dance, we have very beautiful ballets in young groups and in certain choreographic dances at adult level.
In terms of traditional dances, there is work to be done because we have thought about the cultural dimension of the different forms of dance steps in our societies.
We concluded that in each ethnic group, there was a prevalence of the value provided, either to the upper body, or to the lower body, or even to the rhythm of the body.
So, depending on this cultural reality, we can work to ensure that this is even better controlled. The dances that we called, the dances of strength and acrobatics, fully regain their justifications.
We must work on dances of grace and flexibility and have true representations of this aesthetic expression.
S: You are one of the artistic directors of SNC 2024. What does your role consist of?
PK: We do not have a special mission entrusted to us.
It is we who decide what we can provide as support, as reflection to the artists so that they can go even further
. The organizers have taken control of their activities.
The opening ceremony was of absolute professional mastery. We encourage them, because they do very good work.
We have very great professionals. As artistic director I bring my little moral and aesthetic support to everything that is done during the SNC.
Source: Burkina Information Agency