Virtual reality meets creativity – Diallo Belko Salman inspires children at KIFIFE

As part of this year’s KIFIFE Children’s Film Festival at the Opera Village, we collaborated with the innovative doctor and technologist Diallo Belko Salman to create an extraordinary workshop on virtual reality—an experience that equally fostered curiosity, wonder, and digital skills.

In the four-day workshop, Diallo Belko Salman playfully introduced children to the medium of virtual reality—igniting not only technical interest but also genuine enthusiasm. Using a 360° camera, the children filmed creative scenes on the schoolyard, which they then edited together as a team. The resulting VR clips are not only small works of art but can also be used by the school for communication purposes—such as on their website or at events.

Diallo Belko Salman is a young doctor from Burkina Faso who combines medical expertise with a deep commitment to technological and social innovation. In 2019, he founded the initiative Faso E-Sport, which promotes digital education, cultural participation, and social responsibility. His vision of humanistic technology makes him an inspiring bridge between science, education, and youth culture—and an ideal workshop leader for our festival. The atmosphere at the Opera Village during the workshop was marked by openness, teamwork, and enthusiasm. The children not only learned how VR technology works—they also experienced how much fun it can be to create something together and use digital tools meaningfully.

With the KIFIFE Festival, we bring young people from various African countries together with artists, creating spaces for exchange and expression. In a world where digital technologies increasingly shape our everyday lives, the VR workshop was a prime example of our mission to empower children and youth—as active creators of their own future.

We extend our special thanks to our supporters this year, without whose generous support the KIFIFE Children’s Film Festival would not have been possible in this form: Tales Of Us, Stormig Donkey Productions, Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation, Jutta Vogel Stiftung, Norbert W. Grossklaus (Protestant Pastor / City Councilor Offenburg) & Planbar 3 Gbr.