“China Wahala” - Avant-première of a Golden Touch JC Production

February 09, 2008

“China Wahala” - Avant-première of a Golden Touch JC Production

Cameroon Chinese “bushfallers” tell their story

By Akere Maimo

The word “bushfaller” is a common parlance that has fast become flesh and blood of Anglophone Cameroonians when relating to the unusual phenomenon of the active population fleeing for greener pastures in the land of Uncle Sam, the greater half of Europe and more recently Far East Asia. Social scientists best brand it the “Go Abroad Syndrome” (GAS) in a desperate attempt to question and answer the burning issue of mass emigration eating the fabric of society. In casual Pidgin English, you would hear Cameroonians say “I want fall Bush” or “I am falling Bush” referring to travelling abroad. And whenever, the westernised “bushfallers” come home for a Christmas or summer visit, it is usually much fun. The showy types would display affluence aplenty, gallivant in posh cars and pride in the fact of their countrymen calling them “bushfallers”. Today in Cameroon, “bushfallers” simply refers to those in the Diaspora.

Strange enough, the beautiful pictures some of these “bushfallers” paint of their so-called “Bush” and “wonderland” is simply a mirage. Such bitter truths have left scars in the minds of less spirited Cameroonian youths as it is now dawning on them that “all that glitters is not gold” and that they can make it right here in Cameroon simply by applying their brain to work. It is certainly against this backdrop that some talented brothers and sisters in the Diaspora are making good use of the best-known medium of home-made videos to tell their stories of the good, the bad and the ugly about “Bush” (abroad).

Sometime ago, movie lovers witnessed the launching of “Berlin Icon”, a movie produced by aspiring Cameroonians living in Germany (Bundes as it is commonly called) telling their story of “bushfalling” in Hitler’s Germany. On Saturday, December 8, 2007 at the Yaounde Djeuga Palace Hall, it was the turn of some Cameroon Chinese-based brothers and sisters recounting their own misfortunes and woes or rather their “wahala” in the land of the venerated Mao Tse Tsung.

The US-based "bushfallers" have their own thriller titled "Culture Shock" with revealing images of what life is in America.

The point of attraction in China Wahala is a 2-hour emotion-packed movie with a Nigerian-wrought movie lingo for a title: “Chinese Wahala”. It was a premier of its kind, though the turnout was unimpressive. Most often, cross-cultural participation in movie production in Anglophone Cameroon has often associated with Artists from next-door Nigeria not until recently that we have a joint movie venture with the Chinese. The product is not only unique in terms of the concept and expert production but goes beyond the political and business romance that exist between the two states.

“China Wahala” carries with it a lot of strength in terms of its image and sound quality. The scenes are not unnecessarily too long, though some still reflect the Nigerian style of typical shopping and airport scenes. The script is well written and rendered by the actors, except for a lot of indoor scenes. The continuity from one scene to the other is consistent and flows successively. The characterisation is good, though some supporting actors are a bit weak in their roles. To portray the bilingual nature of the country, the English movie is subtitled in French - quite a saleable element for the movie.

“China Wahala” makes for an interesting watch. It is a must-watch with an easy storyline. A number of questions are raised drawing allusion to the “bushfaller” syndrome. What happens when a generation of young people gets obsessed about finding future abroad? What happens when a clique of smart guys preys on their own countrymen in foreign lands? The movie captures the passionate cravings of a generation frustrated and overburdened by their country, yet ensnared by their greedy countrymen abroad in search of “fast money”. The famous creed of “bushfallism” that “not every country man abroad is your brother” runs through the film like blood in the veins. Those who have been to Dubai or Europe would tell you the story better.

The film is produced by Golden Touch JC Production (GTJCE) and officially sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, starring promising a multi-talented major role such as Joyce Kuchah, who doubles as the Director. He is assisted by his Chinese colleagues Han Wen Qing as Assistant Director and Tang Bo as Production Manager. “China Wahala” also stars Cameroonians in China like Jennet Atem, Mokom Muluh, Sharon Asoh, Hosia Ghogha, Suiven Mykem, Job Taku, Ferdinand Asongwe,m Victor Asongwe, Jinui Tanteh and Terry Wang. The film is marketed and distributed worldwide by GTJCE in Cameroon, Britain and USA.

From the echoes reaching us as at now, the movie has registered significant progress in terms of sales. According to insides sources, the volume of sales rate is estimated at 5000 just in about a month after the launching.

It is important to note here that the Cameroonian movie industry is coming of age in terms of quality and know-how. More and more, movie lovers are getting convinced that the few Cameroonian movies we have are good for consumption rather the Nigerian stuff flooding our streets and screens. Reason why the various stakeholders in the sector should put their hands on deck and support this giant industry. It requires more than just a film production to get things on motion. It is collective effort that needs the galvanising force of a dynamic and forward-looking media, a consumer-conscious public for local products, a well organised market to ease the sales through distribution channels both at home and abroad, and above all the business tycoons and fire-driven entrepreneurs ready to venture in such an dream adventure.