Thérèse Sita-Bella

A young Sita-Bella, working as a pilot.Thérèse Sita-Bella (1933–27 February 2006), born Thérèse Bella Mbida, was a Cameroonian film director who became the first woman filmmaker of Africa and Cameroon.

Early life and education She was born into the Beti tribe in southern Cameroon, and received her education from Catholic missionaries. In the 1950s, after obtaining her baccalaureate from a school in the Cameroonian capital of Yaoundé, she went to Paris in order to continue her studies. It was in France that her interest in journalism and in film developed.

Career In 1955, Sita-Bella started her career as a journalist.

Tam Tam à Paris In 1963, Sita-Bella directed the documentary Tam-Tam à Paris, which followed a troupe from the Cameroonian National Ensemble during a tour of Paris. Tam Tam à Paris is frequently cited as being the first film by a woman from sub-Saharan Africa. In 1969, Tam Tam à Paris featured at the first Week of African Cinema, a festival that was later to become known as FESPACO.

Sita-Bella was considered to be a trailblazer and one of the rare women working in the film industry that was being dominated by men.

Death On 27 February 2006, Sita-Bella died at a hospital in Yaoundé from colon cancer. Sita-Bella was buried at the Mvolye cemetery in Yaoundé.