Baba Sangaré is the projectionist of Cine Manding Theater, he’s now the caretaker of this almsot ruin to which his all life is bound. Baba turns on his projectors regulary, even if there is has no film to show, in order to keep them in working condition, just in case. ©Cecile Burban

The Last Picture Show

Cecile Burban

2014 – 2023 — Burkina Faso, Mali, Madagascar, Togo

About this series

Urbanism testifies the shift of a society, The Last Picture Show evokes, through the disappearance of these so particular places that are African district’s cinemas, the one of a vector of culture, education, exchanges and wonder, which contributes to the social bond.These places are not ruins or contemporary affectations. They are engaged in a silent battle. Brimming with history and soul, these relics resound with the emotion and laughter of thousands and a collective memory.
Resisting obliteration, these spaces are alike in that they all share a profound union with one person. The fragile endurance of these cinemas would not be possible were it not for the passion of film-makers battling to revive them, and the projectionists, turned stubborn caretakers.
And there they remain—places and watchmen—awaiting a viable solution, in this space in-between a melancholy of sorts and a determined hope.
In Mali notably, cinema has always had a particularly important role, embodying art and infrastructure, leisure and social cohesion, and cultural and cross-generational encounters. Political films often disinhibit the speech of the people, following the verbal tradition of palaver and tale by exploring age-old themes such as family, taboos and communication, with a healthy dose of fun.
From economic debt to jihadists conquests, culture, democracy’s pillar is a strategic victim of economic policies and territorial and ideologic battle for decades.
The Last Picture Show is a series of portraits of these silenced African cinemas and their protectors, who know that if men build spaces, some spaces may also contribute to building mankind.

Cine Oubri - The Movie Friends' Den - Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Built over 40 years, ago, this theatre closed for ten years before the filmmaker Mamadou Gnanou decided to fund research for its reopening in 2010, it is closed again since summer 2012, due to lack of means (operating system / distribution). ©Cecile Burban
Cine Manding– Bamako, Mali 2010. Abandoned place but full of soul, this neighborhood theater hosted the poorest social strata, and an audience that could benefit projections, it can now no longer afford: the only cinema still operating in Bamako the Babemba is too cozy and so, expensive. ©Cecile Burban
Mohamed Amadou, hairdresser, moved its trade against the wall of the Ciné Manding's, like many others, the hall remains remain the hub of the community, place of rendez-vous of the neighborhood. ©Cecile Burban
Cine Manding’s projection booth- Bamako, Mali. ©Cecile Burban
Billboard for Cinema Vox’s programmation - Closed in 2006 (Bamako, Mali ). Souleymane Cisse (malian international renown film director) evidenced in an interview "I keep a special memory of cinema Vox, a large open air theater in Bamako. The enthusiasm was so great that it was often crowded and we got into the trees to watch the film over the wall. It the place of our appointment childhood and it was a tragedy when we are prevented to go. The owner ended up booking us tickets. Our seats. It is a magical memory. " The major part of the Malian movie theaters were privatized in the 2000s, the new owners have an obligation to maintain the activity, a commitment not respected by the majority. ©Cecile Burban
Cinema L’Imperial – Kara, Togo. The guardian goes through a ventilation window to access the projection room whose door remained closed for 23 years, has become impossible to open ... Inside, everything has remained frozen: Projector electric arc cut the coils, and the pieces of coal electrodes. ©Cecile Burban
Cinema le Roxy – Antananarivo, Madagascar. ©Cecile Burban
Cinema L’Imperial – Kara, Togo. Mohamed Zachary poses in his theatre, in front of the old wall-screen. Born in 1952, he was the projectionist at the Imperial Cinéma from 1975 to its closure in 1990. He is now the keeper of the ruin to which his all life is bound. ©Cecile Burban
Cinema Le Rio– Majunga, Madagascar 2014. ©Cecile Burban THE LAST PICTURE SHOW is a series of portraits of these silenced African cinemas and their protectors, who know that if men build spaces, some spaces may also contribute to building mankind.
Opera Cine – Lome, Togo. ©Cecile Burban THE LAST PICTURE SHOW is a series of portraits of these silenced African cinemas and their protectors, who know that if men build spaces, some spaces may also contribute to building mankind.

Photographer: Cecile Burban
Nationality: French
Based in: Paris, France
Website: cecileburban.com
Instagram: @cecile_burban

Cécile Burban is a French photographer.
Autodidact, she trained in teams of artistic photographers after working in film industry.
Her work, guided by an intuitive approach, is a poetic investigation of physical and psychological landscapes. She explores the imperceptible links we weave with our environment, and questions the variations there: mutation and renewal, mixing intimate experience with the collective narrative.
Her projects has received distinctions and has been shown in festivals and galleries in France and abroad.
She is a member of Mirage Collectif.