Dani Kouyaté

Dani Kouyaté (born June 4, 1961) is a film director and jeli (griot) from Burkina Faso, which the BBC describes as "Africa's most important film-making country".

Biography Kouyaté was born in 1961 in Bobo-Dioulasso. He is the son of one of the first Burkinabé actors, Sotigui Kouyaté, The Kouyatés guard customs, and their knowledge is authoritative amongst Mandinkas. He directed a number of other short films before the release of his first full-length feature,

Sundjata Keita's 13th century epic, Sundjata, was Kouyaté's inspiration for the film,

In 1999 he created several episodes of the Burkinabé television series À nous la vie (roughly "Let's grab life"). The second feature film Kouyaté directed was Sia, le rêve du python, released in 2001. It "operates simultaneously on three levels: as a visually compelling, exciting story set in a mythical past; as a political allegory, in which the events of the past are a continual commentary on Africa today; and as a rumination on the power and value of myth and legend." His father played the complex General Watigué, and the junior Kouyaté performed as a musician, strumming his guitar and playing several percussion instruments.

He also directed the award winning film Ouaga-Saga (2004), which premiered at FESCAPO in 2005. It tells the story of 11 Burkinabés struggling to overcome poverty to realise their dreams. Kouyaté had five weeks to film this, though it took longer to complete.

Filmography Title Year NotesKatanga: The Dance of the Scorpions 2025 Feature filmWhile We Live 2016 Feature filmSoleils 2013 Feature filmJoseph Ki-Zerbo 2005 DocumentaryOuaga-Saga 2004 Sia, le rêve du python 2001 Also writerÀ nous la vie 1999 Television seriesKeita! L'héritage du griot 1995 Also writerLes Larmes sacrées du crocodile 1992 Short filmTobbere Kossam 1991 Short film, codirected by Philippe BaquéBilakoro 1989 Short film, codirected by Issa Traoré de Brahima