Something New in Old Town (2016)
Jude Fokwang (Regis University)
Jude Fokwang
Divine Fuh (CODESRIA), Ben Page (UCL), Basile Ndjio (University of Douala)
Something New in Old Town (2016). Panel FS01 at conference ECAS7: 7th European Conference on African Studies.
Jude Fokwang, Cameroon (48 min) Bone Studios Production/DER Africa English/Pidgin English with English subtitles "Something New in Old Town" explores the efforts of dozens of young women and men in the sprawling community of Old Town in Bamenda, Cameroon, in part to make sense of the ways in which communities "forgotten" by the state are grappling with development challenges in the neoliberal era. Filmed over three years in the homes, streets and work places of Old Town, the documentary examines the lives and activities of these young people who strive to change their community, notably as "searchers" of locally adapted solutions. Through their charitable acts, hygiene campaigns, women-centred schemes and commitment to grassroots development, they build and impart hope in a community that continues to struggle with redefining how outsiders see them.