Cameroon: Filmmaker Bassek Ba Kobhio dies aged 69
A driving force in Cameroonian cinema, Bassek Ba Kobhio, has now died at the age of 69. Even before his career as a filmmaker, he was articulating his vision of the world, publishing a series of politically engaged books.
First in line was ‘Les eaux qui débordent’ in 1984, and then ‘Cameroon, la fin du maquis?’ in 1986. They were works that expressed his values and what he stood for.
Five years later, Le Maitre du Canton was released, which tells the story of a rural schoolteacher who resists the established order. It would go on to win the Audience Award at the Milan African Film Festival.
Three other films came in the 27-year period that followed. But during that time, Kobhio was also working hard off set.
With limited recourses, He ran the Écrans Noirs film festival based in Yaoundé, seeking to champion and put African cinema into the spotlight.
And this isn’t where his legacy ends. He also set up film classes, in partnership with UNESCO for young Cameroonians, some of whom are now making films.
