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.
