Senegal: African football star Kalidou Koulibaly defends international humanitarian law in ICRC film

This B-ROLL shows the production and post-production of a film to raise awareness of international humanitarian law (IHL), with the African football star Kalidou Koulibaly.

The film titled "Defenders" is produced by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). It is aimed primarily at young people who carry weapons and is designed to make them aware of the basic rules governing war: the ban on targeting civilians, the need to minimise the effects of military operations on women and children, and the obligation to spare surrendering enemy combatants.

The dialogue we have with the authorities and arms bearers is essentially focused on preventing humanitarian problems, facilitating our access to all victims of war or other situations of violence in order to provide them with assistance and protection. We raise awareness of the rules protecting civilians in conflicts so that lives can be saved.

Kalidou Koulibaly makes brief appearances in the film to advise and warn a young fighter at crucial moments. He tells him: " Keep it clean! No fouls! ", or " Think before you shoot! ". "Using the jargon of football, which has its own rules, is a way of reaching out to all those who are passionate about the sport," says Patrick Youssef, the ICRC's regional director for Africa.

The film also marks the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions and reflects the ICRC's new institutional strategy, which places protection and IHL at the heart of its work.

According to the ICRC, there are over a hundred armed conflicts in the world today, involving more than 60 States and 100 non-state armed groups. Several States are experiencing multiple conflicts on their territory, and some parties are involved in several armed conflicts.

The number of armed conflicts in Africa is constantly increasing. Since the early 2000s, for example, the number of armed conflicts has doubled from around twenty to more than 40. The ICRC estimates that some 83 million people on the African continent live in areas totally or partially controlled by armed groups.

For further information please contact:

Steven Anderson, ICRC Dakar, phone. +221 786398629 or sanderson@icrc.or

SHOTLIST

Location : Dakar, Senegal

Camera: Alphonse Dioh and Studio Sankara

Filming date : 12th November 2023

Duration : 5:12

Copyright : ICRC access all

On Screen Credit: ICRC written or logo attached to story

The film can be viewed in full on the ICRC's YT page.

French version : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZcvWliFcNs

English version : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f0-qIwEDvg

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Wide shot of the set with the beginning of the 1st scene of the film Defenders

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Medium shot of the launch of the 1st scene of the film Défenseurs

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Shot of Maguy H. Awadi, Executive Producer of Studio Sankara; Kalidou Koulibaly; Aliou Goloko, Kalidou Koulibaly's representative; Steven Anderson, Head of Regional Communication Centre for French-speaking Africa, ICRC Dakar, in front of their monitor.

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Kalidou Koulibaly, Aliou Goloko and Steven Anderson in front of their monitor

Interview with Kalidou Koulibaly

Professional footballer, captain of the Senegal national team

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"Today, we know that football is a vector that allows us to

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speak out loud and clear on very important issues.

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Today, I think that

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children's safety,

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of young women and citizens is more important than anything else.”

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Shot of Kalidou Koulibaly with the make-up artist (3 shots)

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Shot of the 1st appearance of Kalidou Koulibaly

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Shot of Kalidou Koulibaly with the cinematographer watching the 1st scene

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Clip of the film in French, start of scene 2, when leaving the tent. "Sois fair-play, évite de faire des fautes."

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Clip of the film in English at the start of scene 2, when leaving the tent. "Keep it clean! No fouls!"

Interview with Kalidou Koulibaly

Professional footballer, captain of the Senegal national team

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"I think that respecting the rules

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and humanizing conflicts, we will have more safety

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at the population, the citizens

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and have a bigger future

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and I hope that's the way we're going to go in the future.

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We're not actors, we have trouble managing our emotions,

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to wait, to be patient, to say the right words at the right time.”

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Wide shot of the crew preparing scene 4.

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Start of shooting scene 4 (2 shots)

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Clip from scene 4 of the film “Defenders” with a woman protecting her two brothers against two gunmen.

Interview with Filye Diagne

Actor

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"When I was told I was filming with Kalidou Koulibaly,

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I really didn't believe it.

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I saw it this morning.

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Wow! A really humble, simple person who also struggles

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like everyone else, for a good cause

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which is the humanitarian cause and the protection of civilians.”

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Clip from scene 4 of the film Defenders with a close-up of a woman protecting her two brothers from two gunmen.

Interview with Filye Diagne

Actress

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"My role was really a situation, I'm going to say, that many people have already experienced unfortunately.

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I was in a situation of terror, of war

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There was a massacre.

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And me, my main goal, actually,

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was to protect my little brothers who were with me.

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I try to protect them and at the same time, I try to protect myself.”

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Wide shot of the film set at night.

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Shot of Kalidou Koulibaly and the film crew in the shot of scene 5

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Shot of the actors in scene 5

Interview with Kalidou Koulibaly

Professional football player, captain of the Senegal national team

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"They don't dare talk to me too much because they're a bit, in inverted commas,

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let's say "anxious".

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But as they saw, I'm a normal person.

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and I have a good laugh with everybody, with everybody around the stage,

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with everyone working on the project.”

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Clip from scene 5 of the film Defenders in French : "Soyons tous les défenseurs des plus vulnérables dans les conflits!

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Clip from scene 5 of the film Defenders in English "In conflict, we must all defend the most vulnerable!”

Interview with Steven Anderson

Head of Regional Communication Centre for French-speaking Africa, ICRC Dakar

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"Who better than a well-known player

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in Africa, very respected

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to be able to get those messages out?

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Our choice is Kalidou Koulibaly,

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who is none other than the captain of the Senegalese national team.

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Who won the last African Cup of Nations.”

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Wide shot of the film set with Kalidou Koulibaly

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Tight shot of Kalidou Koulibaly and Aliou Goloko

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Shot of the actors getting into the back of the pickup (2 shots)

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Plan of the signing of the memorandum of agreement on 3 December 2022 between Kalidou Koulibaly and Steven Anderson

 END