MOMA and Moustapha Alassane

Between the 12 -15th of May, 2017 the MOMA hosted an exhibition on Moustapha Alassane, Pioneer of the Golden Age of Nigerien Cinema. The exhibition is the first 

'North American retrospective of Moustapha Alassane (1942–2015), a pioneer of populist cinema in newly independent Niger in the 1960s and 1970s, is presented in association with La Cinémathèque Afrique de l’Institut français.'

Moustapha Alassane is widely considered the father of Sub-Saharan animation and his contributions to the history of animation from the continent are seminal as they went on to inspire other animators such as Jean Michel Kibushi from the DRC.

Moustapha Alassane - Father of Sub-Saharan Animation ... a documentary on his life and work

Maria Silvia Bazzoli is responsible for the seminal text 'African Cartoon' (2003) published in Italian by Castoro Publishers that presents a collection of articles by various historians and filmmakers describing animation on the African continent.

In 2009, she followed her publication with a documentary film made with Christian Lelong, on the works and life of this key filmmaker from Niger. The film is a rare example that documents the earliest examples of post-colonial animation made in the early 1960's by a key figure in the field.

The film can be purchased at Amazon - see:
Moustapha Alassane, cinéaste du possible by cinedocfilms