Kemo Cham, AfricaNewsreporter in Dakar, Senegal
Legendary Senegalese film director, screenwriter and producer, Mahama Johnson Traore, has died, after a long illness.
A founding member of the Pan-African Film Festival (FESPACO), Traore reportedly died Monday morning in Paris, France, at age 68. Born in 1942 in Dakar, he directed several feature films and movies with themes of societal and political issues, especially those related to women and their daily struggle.
The late Traore studied in France where he made his first film, "Diankha-bi" (The Maiden, in Wolof) in 1968. That film discusses the situation of women in Senegal.
Johnson Traore is perhaps best remembered for his instrumentality in the founding in 1969 of FESPACO, which takes place in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou every two years. This is said to be the most prestigious film festival on the continent.
He also served as the secretary general of the Pan-African Federation of Film-makers.
Traore reportedly died while working on an unfinished work.
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