''Étalon de Yennenga'' (English: Stallion of Yennenga) is an award bestowed to distinguished individuals involved with the Burkinabe's silver screen, awarded by the biannual

Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (, or FESPACO) is a film festival in Burkina Faso, held biennially in Ouagadougou, where the organization is based. It accepts for competition only films by African filmmakers and chief ...

(FESPACO), in recognition of the grand prize for the Best Film. First commenced in 1972, it is considered the most prestigious award in

African cinema Cinema of Africa covers both the History of film, history and present of the Filmmaking, making or screening of films on the African continent, and also refers to the persons involved in this form of audiovisual culture. It dates back to the ear ...

History

The 'Étalon de Yennenga' means Stallion of Yennenga and refers to Princess

Yennenga Yennenga (born 11th-15th century) was a legendary princess, considered the mother of the Mossi people of Burkina Faso. She was a famous warrior within the Kingdom of Dagbon, now in present day Ghana. The founder of the Kingdom of Dagbon was her fa ...

. The Mossi people, the main ethnic group in

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

, consider her a founder of the

Mossi Kingdoms The Mossi Kingdoms, were a group of kingdoms in modern-day Burkina Faso that dominated the region of the Volta River, upper Volta river for hundreds of years. The largest Mossi kingdom was that of Ouagadougou. The king of Ouagadougou, known as ...

. The story of Yennenga dates back to the beginning of the 12th century in the

Kingdom of Dagbon The Kingdom of Dagbon ( ) is the oldest and one of the most organised traditional kingdoms in Ghana founded by the Dagomba people (Dagbamba) in the 15th century. During its rise, it comprised, at various points, the Northern Region (Ghana), North ...

. King Nedega's daughter, Yennenga, was a horse-woman, and adept at using javelins, spears and bows. The physical award resembles Yennenga with her horse and weapon.

Award

It is shared by Burkina Faso's most popular film makers,

Idrissa Ouedraogo Idrissa is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Idrissa Adam (born 1984), Cameroonian sprinter * Idrissa Camara, Guinean-born dancer and choreographer * Idrissa Camará (born 1992), Bissau-Guinean footballer * Idrissa Cou ...

. Ouedraogo won the Yennenga prize in 1991 for the film ''Tilai''. The first winner of this prize is the

Oumarou Ganda Oumarou Ganda (1935 – 1 January 1981) was a Nigerien director and actor who helped bring African cinema to international attention in the 1960s and 1970s. Life Ganda was born in Niamey, the capital of Niger, in 1935 and was of Djerma eth ...

in 1972 with his film ''Le Wazzou polygame''. In 2005, 19th edition of FESPACO, two new awards titled "Stallion" were awarded. The trophies are designed and made by Burkinabe sculptor Ali Nikiméa. The Yennenga Standard Grand Prize then becomes the Golden Stallion of Yennenga (''Étalon d'or de Yennenga''), and the new awards are named the Silver Stallion and the Bronze Stallion.

List of Winners of the Yennenga Stallion

References

{{Reflist African film awards