Media men from Bobo-Dioulasso immersed themselves in the French Institute on May 10, 2023. This allowed them to see that the institute is partially functioning. Precisely it is the projection room and the media library.
At the beginning of October 2022, the French institute in Bobo was the target of anti-Damiba demonstrators, president of the transition at the time. For the demonstrators, it was a way of expressing their anger vis-à-vis France, which would have welcomed and put in a safe place Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba. Seven months later, the French Institute of Bobo-Dioulasso is gradually opening up to the public, including the media library, but not without conditions. It was necessary to readjust the conditions of reception of the public. “This is what led us initially to relaunch access to the media library with access reserved for members because between October and February, we had a lot of events both support and frustration at not being able to access the media library,” says Delphine Calmettes, Deputy Director of the Institut Français de Bobo. This is an intermediate step to return to normal operation, she says. Currently to access the site, you have to go through the door located on the side of the avenue de la concorde facing the Governorate. The institute at full capacity is two hundred events a year. To reach such a cruising speed again, it is first necessary, to hear the persons in charge of the places, to repair the airlock of entry which was damaged during the demonstrations. But they hope to reopen the premises and run at full speed at the start of the next school year. But currently for security reasons, “we must not accommodate more than sixty people simultaneously on the site”, according to Vincent Millogo, head of the media library. Note that the French Institute of Bobo is four people at the media library and the institute has twelve permanent agents. It should be noted that the library has existed for years and it changed its name in 2012 with the addition of the digital library with thousands of books. Amélie Zimmermann, Director General of the French Institutes of Burkina, says she is very happy that this media library is used not only for students but also for professionals. “It’s a place we want to serve all Bobolais,” she insists.
Abdoul-Karim Etienne SANON
