Ants Smuggling

Filmmaker: André Ganava

Year of production: 2020
Location: Cameroon
Duration:  44 minutes
Sound: mono
Language: French, Fulfulde, Arabic
Subtitles: French

Cross-border smuggling of goods is for many people an alternative to the precarious living conditions in the Far North Cameroon. Excluded from the normal economic circuit, they found in smuggling a way to earn daily bread. Despite the sometimes strong reactions of the control officers, with courage and determination, young people, women and some disabled people are active daily in this region to challenge or negotiate the vigilance of customs officers and other border or road control officers. This film highlights the dilemma faced by these agents responsible for collecting revenue for the state coffers, in the face of a disengaged population that must ensure its survival in addition to customs tax standards that regulate international trade.

Watch Film(password: bakari_fr)

Copyright: University of Maroua and  Visual Cultural Studies, University of Tromsø, 2021