Senegal Sweeps African Cinema Awards -

Senegal has won multiple awards at the 2025 Sotigui Awards in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and cementing its status as a powerhouse in African cinema.

These awards are : The Sotigui d’Or, Best Actor of the Diaspora, Best African Hope TV Series and African Hope Film.

Ibrahima Mbaye took home the Sotigui d’Or for his performance in Ni Chaînes Ni Maîtres and also won Best Actor of the Diaspora.

“This award is for all of Africa. It just needs someone to represent it. I will personally endeavour, and I take it upon myself to pass it on to the African continent, which is ours, may God preserve it. “It is an opportunity for me to send a message to these actors and actresses to continue to believe in this profession and to believe that it is no joke, that it requires profound truth and a certain rigour.”

Mbaye said as he received the award on stage.

He succeeds Cameroon’s Stephanie Tum, winner of last year’s edition.

The Awardees Roll Call

Cheikh Babou Gaye was named Best Actor, West Africa, for Nanas, while Diariatou Sow received Best African Hope (TV Series) for Curdle. Pape Aly Diop won Best African Hope (Film) for Timpi Tampa.

“I feel like a man who has made history. That this is happening to me here in Burkina Faso and at Sotigui, you can’t imagine. I’m over 60 years old,” Diop commented.

Others, such as Côte d’Ivoire, came away with a few trophies. Fortune Akakpo won Best African Male Actor in a TV Series. His character Pascal in the series ‘Les Nounous’ earned him his first top award in the acting profession.

Spotlight On 2025 Sotigui Award

The 2025 Sotigui Awards also focused on broader industry issues, including discussions on sexual harassment in African cinema under the theme “African cinema facing the challenges of sexual harassment: from indignation to action.”

Source: Viory