RFI Podcast Episode 5: Désiré Ecaré, Politicizing Exile and Desire

The fifth episode of the RFI podcast series 'Cinéastes d’Afrique' focuses on Ivorian filmmaker Désiré Ecaré, who made two seminal short films in 1968 and 1970: 'Concerto pour un exil' and 'À nous deux, France!'. These works depict the daily life of the Ivorian diaspora in Paris, exploring themes of emancipation, racism, freedom, and attachment to the homeland. The episode features the voice of Amandine Gay, an author and filmmaker, and includes archival radio recordings, film excerpts, and interviews with Juhan Ecaré (musician and son of Désiré Ecaré), Amandine Nana (programmer and contemporary art curator), and Marie-Hélène Banimbadio (programmer and creator of Archives-Ivoire). Désiré Ecaré moved to Paris in the early 1960s and graduated from IDHEC in 1966. His first film, 'Concerto pour un exil', won the Grand Prix for short film at the Festival international du jeune cinéma in Hyères. His second film, 'À nous deux, France!', is a satirical look at African women left behind by their compatriots studying in France, exposing banal and hypocritical racism. After these films, Ecaré returned to Côte d'Ivoire and released his third and final film, 'Visages de femmes', in 1985. Recent restorations by Argos Films and the Cinémathèque Afrique of the Institut français have revived interest in his work, allowing new generations in France and Côte d'Ivoire to engage with his films and discuss representation of Black women, gender relations, and the desire for exile and return.