Spotlight on the films of Jean-Marie Téno:
Africa, I will fleece You (1992)
Clando (1996)
Chief! (1999)
A Trip to the Country (2000)
Alex’s Wedding (2002)
The Colonial Misunderstanding (2004)
Sacred Places (2009)
Leaf in the Wind (2013)
Cameroon didn’t qualify for the 2026 World Cup (Cape Verde
knocked them out) but it was their presence at an earlier World Cup that
allowed me to view a film by Jean-Marie Téno. For the 2010 Soccer Film World
Cup, I selected Jean-Marie Téno’s A Trip to the Country, an
insightful look into some of the economic hurdles that Cameroon faced. That
single film was such a memorable experience that I wanted to view more films
from Téno and that chance duly arrived when I discovered multiple films of his
were available on Kanopy resulting in this spotlight.
Documenting Cameroon
Jean-Marie Téno’s films are a revelation and offer an
insightful look at Cameroonian society. His documentary films can be classified
as essay films or long form journalistic examinations of cultural, economic,
social, political problems facing Cameroon. This documentation of Cameroonian
society is both at a micro and macro level and explores historical events
that have led to the contemporary state of things.
Téno’s style is a contrast to that of Patricio Guzmán who has documented Chilean society
but in a different manner. In Guzmán’s case, he first documented events as they
unfolded in a realistic manner (The
Battle of Chile) and later in his career, his documentary films took on
a contemplative poetic approach (Nostalgia for the Light, The
Pearl Button, The Cordillera of Dreams) where Guzmán used
real-life footage of locations to ponder on how Chilean society has changed. In
contrast, Jean-Marie Téno’s films do not have a vérité style nor are
they distant contemplations. Téno does ponder on events but only after
interviewing people and one can hear questions directed to people on camera
which indicates that Téno is probing his subjects for a specific answer. This
style ensures that Téno is part of the filming process and isn’t distanced from
events. As Téno digs for answers, the audience are part of that process as well,
observing and listening and coming to realizations in a similar manner to that
of Téno.
Examination of the Past
Africa, I will fleece You looks at how
colonialism and imperialism impacted Cameroon and played a direct part in
current economic, cultural, social, political problems. As the film shows, past
looting of wealth still impacts the present where many young people are unaware
of Cameroon’s history or the cultural power of past societies. The film is specific
to Cameroon but it is easy to see how other African countries would have been
impacted in a similar manner.
The Colonial Misunderstanding presents a new
entry point in examination of how past colonial powers depleted the local society.
The film looks at the role of German missionaries in aiding the destruction of
local customs, cultures and religious beliefs. There are elements that Téno
uncovers which are rarely talked about in Western society even today.
Leaf in the Wind uses a personal lens to
examine colonial, post-colonial and revolutionary history of Cameroon. In the
film, we meet Ernestine who is the daughter of Ernest Ouandie, a freedom
fighter who was executed in 1971 by Cameroonian authorities. Ernestine
never met her father, and the film shows the impact of trauma on family members
who are left to cope in the absence of a proper family support system. Of all
the films in this spotlight, this one packs the heaviest emotional punch given the
multiple tragedies documented in the film.
Societal and Cultural ways
Chief! draws a direct line from past colonial
rule to current authoritative rulers whose decisions impact the lives of
citizens and what freedoms they can enjoy. The film also highlights how systems
function and break apart, opening the door for corruption to take hold in
society.
As the title indicates, Alex’s Wedding has a specific
focus but Jean-Marie Téno is able to turn filming a friend’s wedding into an
examination of what cultural norms are allowed in society. The film depicts Alex’s
second wedding. Even though Polygamy is not accepted by the church, it is tolerated
by Cameroonian law. The film shows how such ceremonies are performed at home
and how the wedding and festivities are conducted.
Cinema and film distribution
Sacred places is a remarkable film that sheds
a closer look on local cinema and literature. The film depicts local film clubs
which screen films for an audience. The films which are screened are either foreign
films or sometimes films by local directors, which are pirated because there is
no official distribution for those films in Africa. In this regard, the film illustrates
the broken state of film distribution in Africa: films made by Africans may be
screened at international film festivals but there is no way for them to be
screened locally. Lack of local cinemas and no marketing of such
local African films means that people aren’t aware of what works their fellow
countrymen are making. This problem of film distribution is true of Africa but
this can apply to many other nations across Asia, South America and Eastern
Europe whose local filmmakers often find more success at foreign film festival screenings.
As per the film, there is one difference specific to the African setting which is
the cine club or film gathering at a communal social space for people to
experience cinema. The cine club doubles more than a cinema and is a combination
of distribution, film programming, production, curation at a micro-level. Throughout
history of Cinephilia, many film movements started off as cine clubs across
Europe and Asia. The cine clubs were gradually replaced by arthouse cinemas in
those other nations while that option is not a reality for many African
countries.
Agriculture, infrastructure challenges
In A Trip to the Country Jean-Marie Téno
travels from the capital Yaoundé to the Cameroonian countryside to highlight
some concerns relevant to the local economy such as the decline in agriculture
and lack of infrastructure and also examines attitudes related to the desire
for westernization and emulation of the west. The film also depicts the
infrastructural and organizational problems in African soccer. An example near
the end can help one understand why in the past there have been dispute about
bonuses with the Cameroonian soccer team before a World Cup.
A Trip to the Country shows how a local
soccer championship game is almost disrupted due to money issues. As narrated
in the film, all local teams had to pay increased registration fees to enter a
tournament where the winner would get a trophy and prize money. However, moments
before the final's kick-off, the finalists are informed there is no trophy nor
any prize money. The players are not happy but are told by the officials to
play.
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| A Trip to the Country, courtesy Jean-Marie Téno productions |
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| A Trip to the Country, courtesy Jean-Marie Téno productions |
If organizational and infrastructure problems can plague the
national team, then it is not surprizing to see these problems taking place at
the root level of the game. Although such problems are not confined just to
Cameroon but inflict many other African nations as well, thereby making it hard
for an African team to mount a serious World cup challenge.
Emigration and problems in a foreign society
Clando is the only fictional film in this spotlight although the events covered in the film ooze with reality. Given that Jean-Marie Téno’s remaining films document societal problems, Clando shows a character who decides to leave all those problems behind for a better life in Europe (Germany in the film’s case). However, as is depicted in countless other films and stories, Clando portrays that a foreign life isn’t easy and comes with its own challenges. The film showcases the constant tug that migrants face in a foreign land and the lure to return home with new ideas to change society for the better. History is packed with many cases where those returning exiles either led to a revolution or their efforts ended in disappointment and frustration.
Conclusion
Jean-Marie Téno is an essential voice in documenting African history and examining the impacts of colonial rule on Africa. These 8 films offer a valuable insight into Cameroonian society but the topics in the film can easily apply to many nations across Africa, Asia and South America who are still feeling the impact of past colonial rules in their everyday lives.
