NBEEP6

A conversation I had a week ago about call-boxes, mobile phone registration, monitoring of communication by the government and the upcoming elections got interrupted a couple of times by a ‘beep’ (as the Cameroonians call their invention) which is a ‘missed call’, not to be answered but just to communicate a message. What that message is, depends on the person calling, the context and the pre-defined communication ‘protocol’. In our case, the beeping friend indicated to be at a certain spot already. Beeping back would mean: I’m on my way too! Not beeping back would mean: I’m not there yet. Or it could mean: I’ve forgotten about the appointment completely. Or it could mean: I’m not carrying my phone. Or: I simply don’t hear it.

In short, besides being free, which is a key attractive feature here, the 1-beep communication protocol lacks some crucial features available with two-way communication systems. I realized this could be solved by introducing a second phone to be used as a confirmation reply-channel. Actually, by carrying even more than two phones, a full digital code can be received and transmitted: one beep for 1 and no beep meaning 0. Six phones beeping (or not beeping) simultaneously could send one out of a set of 63 predefined messages, identified by digital numbers such as 011001 (N phones give 2 to the power of N minus 1 possibilities). I started to defined a code-set including the full alphabet, numbers, a couple of common phrases and space for DIY context related messages, to be defined amongst friends, or to be defined to communication from one family in one city to a family in another city. In difficult times, it could be used as a non-decodable anonymous method of communication, because there’s no way to intercept what messages are being sent by a group of 6 people at one location just ringing 6 people at another location. As long as the mobile phone network is not fully shut down, communication by beeping remains possible. All that is required is the ‘digital’ system printed on a A4 paper: one side of instructions, one side with an explanation. Free, open source and easy to copy and replicate throughout the country.

The next day, while sitting in the local church and giving up on listening to an incomprehensible flow of French (which appeared to be the local language in which French words appear) I thought of a name for the concept: NBEEP. The NBEEP6 being the protocol-version based on 6 phones on each location. I also thought of a marketing strategy: launching the concept through the call-boxes, of course. Mimicking the typical graphical style (wooden table, parasol, Comic Sans Font) to communicate: communication!

Sander

shopping

Since arriving in Cameroon I’ve been intrigued and puzzled by the extraordinary amount of small scale business attempts. There is someone offering something at every thinkable location. But where and how to find one specific product? With the need in mind of having to buy some materials for my own work at one point, I’ve been trying to discover a pattern in the seemingly chaotic offer on the streets and the markets, so I wouldn’t need to hop on the back of a Bend Skin motorcycle every time, in return for asking them where to find the next item on my shopping list.

So far, I’ve only managed to understand some of the visual patterns identifying the shops and their products. A table with parasol means call-box. A guy carrying a cubic meter of medicines in a huge transparent bulb, means mobile pharmacy. A guy with a shoe on his head, is a walking shoe shop. Easy. But I haven’t been able to understand the geographic logic yet. That is, I don’t understand the choice of location from a merchant point of perspective. I’ve doubts about the concept of running a semi 24/7 shop in the middle of nowhere, with a focus on only 3 core products. I’ve doubts too about the chances of success of being one in a row of 50 merchants selling exactly the same thing, on exactly the same scale, and with a similar way of presentation. Like on the road from Ndobo to Douala. Taking that road feels like driving through a gigantic long-stretched IKEA by car. One kilometer of beds. Two  kilometers of chairs. Although competition must be tough in those situations, I hardly see any shop trying to be more attractive than it’s neighbors in an experimental way. Shops stick to the fixed system of recognizable codes of presentation. On top of that, I’m surprised by the indifference towards potential customers. Pro-active selling is definitely not cool in Cameroon. This contributes highly to a pleasant shopping atmosphere, although sometimes it’s even making it difficult to buy a product.

Being within a range of 5 or 10 meter to a customer making a sudden decision to buy something seems to be the business approach of shops selling phone cards, bottled nuts -and- the mattress business. Piles of mattresses can be found everywhere throughout the city. They color up the street scene along highways, at fruit markets or in car-repair areas. Wherever one might suddenly realize to need a new mattress.

By far the most common shop type is the call-box. People owning a mobile phone with a cheap rate subscription, a parasol and a table can easily start up a business by letting other people call with their phone. But rumors go that the phenomenon is under attack. As a first step, the rates and the prices for mobile phones have been brought down dramatically, inviting people to buy their own phone instead of saving money by using the call-boxes, anonymously. It’s exactly this aspect of the boxes that the current government seems worried about, with the elections of 2011 ahead. It’s not a surprise to hear an item on the news yesterday announcing new regulations requiring every mobile phone subscriber to hand in a photo and become a registered user, a process which is organized as if it were a big party with loud music, queues and free tickets for various events. The official reason is theft prevention, but it’s more probable that the authorities have become alerted by seeing the impact of mobile phone communication during the recent post-election turmoil in Iran. An event that has carefully been left out of the news broadcasts here, to not show an example. The word revolution seems a taboo. That could explain why Che Guevara is painted on hairdressing shops just because of his cool hair-style, and mentioned by youth as a cool brand. When asked, none of them know who he was. But: Luis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabana, Che Guevara. Cool!

Sander

Don Boy Again Forever

Douala, the largest city of Cameroon and its port, is like a can of soda being pulled open right under you nose after it has been shaken vigorously. Lots of energy shooting up in all directions, very much including your face. At the same time, we are staying at Art Bakery, a residency in a quiet mansion located in the outskirts of town and part of a small village called Bonendale. We are hosted there by Goddy Leye, artist and the initiator of Art Bakery. On the porch, a constant coming and going of people that are in one way or another involved in the cultural life of Duala is rolling along. Goddy’s sister Estella, brother Jackson and cousin Silas help us getting started. There is no running water and most of the time no internet, but there is the PowerHouse Discotheque and there are motortaxis that read Nike on them.

The first days have been spent exploring: we got our passportcopies certified (so we don’t have to carry the real thing around), ate chicken straight from the abbatoir, and ofcourse got our pockets picked. On saturdaynight there was the sleazy nearby nightclub, on sundaymorning it was top-notch gospel from the local church. Herve Yamguen, one of five artists running a project space called Circle Kapsiki, showed us around in the New Bell neighborhood. Known as one of the rougher areas of town, it serves as the homeground of Circle Kapsiki and was brimming with a rich melange of vibes. From different angles of the road load music was blaring, speakers competing for attention. It was the last Friday of the month so everyone had just received their wages: “Tonight we’ll turn the world inside out.”

Pretty much the entire economy in Douala seems informal; structures like banks and shops in buildings are technically in place, but in practice they are hardly used by those we meet. Most of the things we are latching onto take place in the informal part of the economy: The ‘banking’ system set up by residents of neigborhoods in order to be able to support each other, the missed-call coding systems developed by youths in order to be able to communicate by phone without having to spend money on calls or text messages, the music which is passed around like shareware. Also: the backs of taxis and busses, which are used to broadcast the personal messages of their proprietors.  “Don Boy Again, Forever. Tomorrow’s bread shall come.”

More about all of that soon.

Jantine.

HMK {Hotel MariaKapel} and Art Bakery Present:

Elopement

A lovable exchange between The Netherlands and Cameroon

Steven Jouwersma 
Alioum Moussa
Justine Ngaga 
Boris Nzebo Nzepang
Sander Veenhof

In November and December 2009 HMK will enter into a close collaboration with artists initiative Art Bakery in Douala, Cameroon. Dutch artists Sander Veenhof and Steven Jouwersma and HMK-curator Jantine Wijnja will reside at Art Bakery for a three-week work period between 27 October and 16 November. Between 24 November and 14 December Cameroonian artists Alioum Moussa, Justine Ngaga and Boris Nzebo Nzepang will undertake a residency at HMK. A presentation concluding their visit will take place at HMK on Sunday 13 December.

We welcome you to follow the project from a distance via this blog, which will be updated regularly throughout the project.

To elope means to take flight or slip away, usually with amorous intentions. We are eloping with Art Bakery in order to temporarily work closely together with a friendly institution abroad, hoping to broaden the horizon of all involved  by literally having to work within each others structures. Noticing how somebody else is working through operating within their framework can unstitch some of your own automatisms. Finding yourself in a different artworld and working with different ingredients can refresh the approaches and viewpoints of all involved, whether they are artist, organizer or audience.

On 13 December from 4 pm onwards concluding presentations will be held at HMK. The program for the afternoon will be announced in November.

About the artists

Steven Jouwersma makes installations and machines. Two noticeable componants of his work are the collecting of discarded consumergoods and the involvement of people in his  projects. For the installation Dia-Exit he collected private slide archives which could be viewed and subsequently destroyed by the visitors of the installation. Music also has a part to play. Club de Gootsteen (‘Club Sink’) is a public audio art piece consisting of two sink drains  which have been fitted into the sidewalk. From the drains, music from local amateurmusicians is being broadcast.

Alioum Moussa is a graphic designer and visual artist. He works in a variety of media and a range of subjects, often with a social emphasis. He parttook in de IAAB residency programme in Basel in 2006 and the Arts & Urbis International workshop in 2007.

Via photography, painting, installations and recently also video works, Justine Ngaga explores themes like loneliness, alienation and migration. Recently she undertook a residency at Thapong Visual Arts Centre in Botswana.

Boris Nzebo Nzepang worked as a decorator of barber shops in the neighbourhood before  switching to an indepth exploration of hairstyling in Douala. Hair cuts and styling seem to encapsulate a whole universe that fascinates the  artist and allows him to understand the society he lives in.

Sander Veenhof creates connections between different worlds. Somtimes literally, sometimes conceptually. By combining digital logic with analogue jests or by coupling different dimensions he creates a universe with new possibilities. He created plants whose growth was based on web-statistics or google hits and made a physical interface for youtube In many of his projects Veenhof experiments with unusual kinds of interactivity. For instance during the TodaysArt08 festival, where unsuspecting passers-by parttook in an interactive choreography without their knowledge.

Elopement: A lovable exchange between The Netherlands and Cameroon is kindly supported by the Mondriaan Stichting, the Province of North Holland, and the City of Hoorn.

HMK {Hotel MariaKapel}

Gallery: Korte Achterstraat 2a

gallery hours: thu-fri 6-9 pm, sat-sun 2-5 pm

Office: Korte Achterstraat 6

1621 GA Hoorn

www.hotelmariakapel.nl

office@hotelmariakapel.nl