Passion of the Reel

Cinematic versus Modernist Political Fictions in Cameroon

Highlighting the challenges faced by a nascent national cinema with limited resources, Passion of the Reelprovides an in-depth analysis of the output of the Cameroonian film industry. Jean-Olivier Tchouaffe shows that, far from an empty receptacle for colonial legacies, Cameroon – and Africa – must move beyond their colonial legacies to focus on indigenous productions of meaning informed by traditional wisdom and ordinary Cameroonian life experience. Tchouaffe’s analysis sets the stage for a film-driven exploration of postcolonialism, social construction, and modernization.