Charles Mensah
Charles Mensah (1948 – 3 June 2011; Arabic: تشارلز منساه) was a Gabonese filmmaker, screenwriter and production manager. Popularly known as "the Gentleman of African Cinema", Mensah contributed to several critically acclaimed documentaries including Équateur, Les Couilles de l'éléphant and Lybek, the crunch of the alive. In a career spanning more than three decades, he worked the development of independent southern cinema.
Charles Mensah
- Name
- Charles Mensah تشارلز منساه
- Born
- 1948
- Birth Name
- Charles Mensah
- Birthplace
- Omboué, Gabon
- Died
- 3 June 2011
- Occupation
- Director, producer, screen writer
- Nationality
- Gabon
- Languages
- French
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Charles Mensah (1948 – 3 June 2011; Arabic: تشارلز منساه) was a Gabonese filmmaker, screenwriter and production manager. Popularly known as "the Gentleman of African Cinema", Mensah contributed to several critically acclaimed documentaries including Équateur, Les Couilles de l'éléphant and Lybek, the crunch of the alive. In a career spanning more than three decades, he worked the development of independent southern cinema.
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wikidata · Q2959798 · wikipedia · Charles Mensah
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Charles Mensah تشارلز منساه • Born — 1948 • Birth Name — Charles Mensah • Birthplace — Omboué, Gabon • Died — 3 June 2011 • Years Active — 1983–present • Occupation — Director, producer, screen writer
Personal life and Death
Personal life and Death
Charles Mensah was born on 1948 in Omboué, Gabon. He died on 3 June 2011, at the age of 63.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Film — Role — Genre — Ref. • 1976 — Obali — Director, co-producer — film • 1983 — Ayouma — Director — film • 1983 — Équateur (Equator) — co-producer — film • 1983 — L'Auberge du Salut (The Auberge du Salut) — producer — TV series • 1996 — Le Damier de Balufu Bakupu Kanyinda (The Checkerboard of Balufu Bakupu Kanyinda) — executive producer — film • 2000 — Dôlè (l'Argent) (Dôlè (Money)) — executive producer — film • 2001 — Les Couilles de l'éléphant (The Balls of the Elephant) — executive producer — film • 2006 — N'Djamena City — executive producer — film • 2009 — Lybek, le crunch du vivant (Lybek, the crunch of the alive) — executive producer — film • 2011 — Le collier du Makoko (The Makoko Necklace) — producer — film
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Omboué.
Birth place
Libreville.
Death place
Filmmaking
In 1976, Mensah directed his first feature fiction film, Obali co-produced with Pierre-Marie Ndong. Then in 1977 he made the second venture Ayouma, co-produced with Ndong and Patience Dabany. Experiencing success with these, Mensah got involved in production, this time with the film Équateur (Equator), written and directed by Serge Gainsbourg, which he co-produced with Alain Poiré. Along with renowned filmmaker Henri-Joseph Koumba Bididi in 1995, Mensah was involved in the Gabonese television series L'Auberge du Salut. As executive producer, Mensah participated in numerous productions, including: Le Damier de Balufu Bakupu Kanyinda in 1996, Dôlè (l'Argent) by Imunga Iwanga in 2000, Les Couilles de l'éléphant in 2001 and N'Djamena City directed by Issa Serge Coelo in 2006. He was also involved in the short documentary film Lybek, le crunch du vivant. In 2011, he worked on Bididi's Le collier du Makoko, which gained international recognition, including being selected for screening at the Cannes Film Festival. Mensah was popularly known as "the Gentleman of African Cinemas".
Other activities
In a career spanning more than three decades, he worked the development of independent southern cinema. He was director general of the Centre National du Cinéma Gabonais (CENACI), later known as Gabonese Institute of Image and Sound (IGIS), for more than 20 years. He was also president of Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) as well as in the Film Assistance Fund Commission of the International Francophone Organisation.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Charles Mensah”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2959798: Charles Mensah
General reference · Wikidata
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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