Post by Romane Gornet

Friday marked the opening ceremony of the Festival Films Femmes Afrique (Women's African Film Festival) in Dakar, Senegal, and I'm so proud to see months of teamwork come to life. For the opening, we screened The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos by the Agbajowo Collective, represented by Temitope Ogungbamila. The film tells the story of a powerful woman who becomes a leader and symbol of resilience in her community, based on the real destruction of waterfront settlements in Lagos, Nigeria that displaced around 30,000 people. Beyond coordinating guests’ flights, hotels, and overall experience, I also had the opportunity to act as filmmaker Temi’s French–English interpreter during the discussion with an audience of 550 people (thank you to everyone who attended!). This conversation demonstrated the political power of cinema and its role in raising awareness. These past weeks have meant working under pressure but also feeling a lot of joy and fulfilment in being part of a project so close to my values. I'm honored to work at the intersection of culture, international cooperation, and feminism. Thanks to Geneviève Sauvalle, Aïssatou Ciss, and Raoul Tobossy for the photos.