The second edition of the annual Pan African Documentary Film Festival slated for Ghana has been launched in Accra.

The festival, to be hosted at four venues in Accra from June 2nd to 8th and Kumasi from June 11 to 17, is being organised by Real Life Production.

It is part of a series festivals proposed by the West African Documentary Forum, an organisation that dwells on the developing, archiving and exhibition documentaries within the West African sub-region.

Ms Lydie Diakhaté Coordinator of Real Life Production stated at a media briefing to herald the festival that, special project which captures Ghana's 50 Independence Anniversary celebration as well as the 200th anniversary of the abolition of Trans Atlantic Slave Trade would be featured.

These two anniversaries and the year-long festival planned by the government and non-governmental organisations would give real life documentary film festival significant contexts within which to strengthen the objectives and show more historical films.

She noted that the project had been divided into three sections, first part would focus on international list of films, followed by works of students of film schools and then high school students who would display documentary photographic works.

Mrs Diakhaté stressed that there was the need to develop archives to serve as a store of films and photos of African creative works.

She noted that very often producers of films and documentaries had to depend on the archives of European countries to do projects on Africa.

"Africa is losing her historical and documentary features and it was high time the necessary steps were taken to keep what-ever the people produced out of their ingenuity in our archives," she said.

She said theatres in most countries on the continent had collapsed, therefore documentaries had become appropriate means to project films on Africa and other photos relevant to the cultures of the people.

Special feature by
Francis Ameyibor