Launch of the Democracy Video Challenge 2008
On September 16th 2008, the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy in Ouagadougou officially launched the Democracy Video Challenge at the American Cultural Center.
The Democracy Video Challenge, a public-private partnership initiated by the Department of State, seeks to engage democracy advocates, filmmakers, and citizens from around the world in a dialogue on democracy. Participants in this contest will submit democracy-themed videos for a global online competition. Challenge winners will be recognized internationally for their work and receive all-expense-paid trips to the United States to promote their videos.
Over 20 Participants from every cinematography institution in Burkina Faso attended the launch, representing students, professionals, interns, and civil activists. Joann Lockard, the Director of the American Cultural Center, opened the ceremony by welcoming the invitees and explaining the reasons and rules for the competition.
Following the speech, a panel, including the Director, the Program Assistant, and Program Clerk, responded to questions about the competition. Ambassador Jeanine Jackson joined participants in the garden for refreshments and additional questions and answers at the end of the ceremony, The deadline in Ouagadougou for submission of the three-minute video is December 5th at 12:30. Winners will be announce in early 2009.