Boundaries are collapsing! We can ‘now’ (as opposed to ‘then’) imagine ‘new’ communities emerging, people connecting and sharing through the myriad of communications platforms. One of the nice things about the many different means of communication nowadays is how fast artists are connecting with audiences who they may never get the privilege to meet. In a small way, this is how you may have heard about me, and also seen my work. And on a wider context, this is why and how we can have a dialogue instantly….
The very concept and initiative behind the dialogues of imagine art after would not be possible without this advancement in communication technology…we are connected, and today, I am able to see the works of other artists from Cameroon on the www.
Now, from my personal perspective as an African, and a woman filmmaker, new technology means democracy – the potential and possibilities of producing multiple voices and visions; of being part of telling is very crucial in terms of how I see myself. It’s through this new technology that I am able to cross the line to create images, rather than maintaining my previous position as consumer. Today, I too can tell the stories I want to tell.
Yes, I did leave Cameroon for the UK in 1986, to study cinema or the art of filmmaking; I did not see it like this at the point of leaving. All I knew was that I had a burning desire to tell stories, to share my vision with audiences…
You may remember that television arrived in Cameroon in 1985. This was a year before I graduated from my undergraduate degree course at the university of Yaoundé. I studied English; Literature, Drama & Theatre arts were some of the subjects I studied. The degree was the beginning of my journey of telling stories in film. Somehow, I ended up coming to the UK to learn how to do this.
During my early years in the UK, I was confronted with media images that gave me a one-sided and simplistic point of view of Africa and Africans. This experience merely justified my burning desire to find ways to express the ‘other’ realities and experiences that are magical, complex, beautiful and magnificent, which make up who we are.
So, from this faraway land, with rivers and mountain separating me from the place where I was born, I am not able to witness the wonderful things, see the beautiful people and observe their fighting spirit as part of my daily routine.
The fact that I can capture, create and produce these omitted images is however not taken for granted; not everyone has the opportunity and access to the many different forms of new communications technology. And even when we have access to any of these, they may not work when we want to reach out and connect.
I am delighted you finally joined me. So what about you? I was very interested to see that you had a residency in London last year. I am interested to know more about that, and what it meant to you.
