The French owner of See Tickets and UMG continues to invest in Africa, announcing a second open-air live venue/cinema in Togolese capital Lomé
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Vivendi opens host of venues in Africa
Venues join the CanalOlympia network of several dozen, and there’s more due to open in Central and West Africa over the course of 2017
By Rhian Jones on 10 Jan 2017
Musicians at the inauguration of CanalOlympia in Cameroon capital Yaoundé June 2016
Vivendi will open four entertainment venues in Africa throughout January and February that will house cinemas and host music concerts.
The venues are part of Vivendi’s CanalOlympia network of several dozen, including the first to arrive in Cameroon capital Yaoundé last year. There’s more due in Central and West Africa over the course of 2017.
On January 11, CanalOlympia opens its doors in Conakry (Guinea), followed by Douala (Cameroon) on January 18, Niamey (Niger) on February 1 and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) on February 25. The latter opening coincides with the first day of Fespaco, the pan-African cinema and television festival that Vivendi’s Canal+ Group sponsors.
The venues will be first used to screen 18 films per week over six days. Concerts by African and international artists will be booked at a later stage, the organisation of which will be led by Vivendi’s record label, Universal Music Group.
CanalOlympia venues aim to facilitate access to culture and entertainment and stimulate talent development in Africa.
With an indoor capacity of 300, and several thousand outdoors, the premises are energy self-sufficient with solar panels and storage batteries, and are outfitted with state-of-the-art digital projection and sound equipment.
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