A Trip to the Country

A voyage in search of the illusion of modernity, which haunts Cameroonian society. A Trip to the Country questions, sometimes ironically, the notion of development associated in Africa with a "tropical modernity" which can be summarized as follows: Everything from Europe is modern, while all things local are archaic and must be discarded. After the ravages of slavery and colonialism, the African continent now faces another threat: educational systems, which perpetuate inferiority complexes and dependence vis-a-vis the West. This self-destructive mentality also establishes a social hierarchy placing "modern" city dwellers above "backward" rural people. A Trip to the Country is a personal reflection on our obsession with modernity, our desire to conform to a certain model of "development", which ironically turns our backs on the possibility of real progress, and perpetuates our dependency to Humanitarian "so-called" aid.

Camera: Jean-Marie Teno and Moussa Diakite

Sound: Lardia Thombiano

Music: Ben's Belinga and Marianne Entat

Editor: Christiane Badgley