So Long to Cameroonian Filmmaker Bassek Ba Kobhio

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Bassek Ba Kobhio (Source: Infomediaire.net)

The great Cameroonian filmmaker Bassek Ba Kobhio, the creator of Sango Malo or Le grand blanc de Lambaréné (the Great White of Lambarene), the founder of  Écrans Noirs Film Festival in Yaoundé, one of Central Africa’s most vital platforms for regional stories and cinematic resistance, has joined his ancestors.

I remember watching ” Le grand blanc de Lambaréné (The Great White of Lambarene)” and thinking about all the pains Africans endured at the hand of the European explorers and missionaries who visited Africa. The cruelty of these missionaries, who claimed to have had a civilizing mission in Africa. The vivid scene in the movie where the doctor removes the teeth of a villager with pliers and without any anesthesia is still stuck in my mind. Ba Kobhio had a way of showing the portraits of flawed idealists like Albert Schweitzer, the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner whose biopic Le grand blanc de Lambaréné is, who had ‘good’ intentions but turned to authoritarianism, and paternalism towards Africans who he (Schweitzer) thought in a way inferior, seeing himself as an “elder brother” to them. In that movie, Bassek showed a part of the Gabonese history and Equatorial French colonies through the lens of an African.

Le Grand Blanc de Lambarene by Bassek Ba Kobhio (Source: imdb.com)

His filmography, including masterpieces like Sango Malo (which won the 1992 public prize at the 2nd Festival du cinéma africain of Milan, in Italie), Le grand blanc de Lambaréné and The Silence of the Forest, consistently sought to reclaim the African narrative, portraying the continent with a dignity that rejected the traditional, condescending external gaze. Beyond his work behind the camera, Bassek Ba Kobhio was a visionary architect of the African film industry’s infrastructure. In 1997, he founded the Écrans Noirs Film Festival in Yaoundé, one of Central Africa’s most vital platforms for regional stories and cinematic resistance, contributing to African cinematography.

Excerpts below are from an article written by Henri Matip Ma Soundjock for the African Intercontinental Press (AICP). I could not have written a better eulogy! Enjoy!

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* PUBLICATION – AICP | AFRICAN INTERCONTINENTAL PRESS 

Nécrologie & Hommage – Yaoundé, 10 mai 2026 

Par Henri MATIP MA SOUNDJOCK

Tel: 237 6 72 71 81 64

 BASSECK BA KOBHIO N’EST PAS MORT : IL EST ENTRÉ DANS SES PROPRES IMAGES 

Hommage au cinéaste camerounais, père du Festival Écrans Noirs, qui vient de rendre l’âme

Il filmait pour que le Cameroun se voie. Il a créé Écrans Noirs pour que l’Afrique se regarde. Basseck Ba Kobhio vient de s’éteindre. Mais un homme qui a donné des images à un peuple n’entre pas dans la mort. Il entre dans le montage final. Celui où les vivants reprennent le scénario. 

I. LE CINÉASTE QUI A REFUSÉ QUE LE CAMEROUN SOIT HORS-CHAMP

1. Le nom : Basseck Ba Kobhio. Deux K. Comme Kamer. Comme Kribi, où il naît en 1957. Comme Kolatier, le quartier de Yaoundé où il installe ses bureaux. 

2. L’œuvre : Sango Malo 1991. Le Grand Blanc de Lambaréné 1995. Le Silence de la Forêt 2003. Il ne filme pas l’Afrique des cartes postales. Il filme l’Afrique des dilemmes. Le maître d’école qui gifle la colonisation. Le docteur Schweitzer vu par les Gabonais. Le Pygmée qui juge les Bantous. 

3. La thèse : Chez Basseck, la caméra n’est pas neutre. Elle est témoin. Elle est tribunal. Elle est confessionnal. Il filme comme on rend justice. Plan par plan, il a fait comparaître 100 ans de non-dits camerounais. 

Et nous ? Nous regardions. Pour la première fois, nous ne regardions pas Paris ou Hollywood. Nous nous regardions. Et nous avions mal. Et c’était bien.

…

 III. LE PÈRE, LE PUGILISTE, LE PASSEUR

1. Le Père : Il engueulait. Il exigeait. « Un plan mal cadré est une faute morale », disait-il. Ses stagiaires pleuraient. Puis ils devenaient chefs-op. Il ne formait pas des techniciens. Il formait des héritiers.

2. Le Pugiliste : Il se battait avec le MINFI pour 10 millions de subvention. Avec les hôtels pour loger les réalisateurs. Avec Air France pour des billets. Il perdait souvent. Il revenait toujours. Écrans Noirs a eu lieu même quand il n’y avait pas de courant. Groupe électrogène. Même quand il n’y avait pas d’argent. Dette personnelle. 

3. Le Passeur : Il a passé 30 ans à connecter. Connecter Douala à Ouagadougou. Connecter le FESPACO à Cannes. Connecter le jeune de Mvog-Ada au producteur de Paris. Il était le câble HDMI de l’Afrique. 

Aujourd’hui le câble est coupé. À nous de devenir la fibre.

…

God’s Wisdom

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Ane / Donkey

Heureusement que Dieu n’a pas donné les cornes à l’âne (Proverbe Kanuri – Tchad).

Thank goodness God did not give horns to the donkey (Kanuri proverb – Chad).

Pope Leo XIV gave his Last Blessing in Angola at an Old Slave Trade Hub

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On April 19, 2026, Pope Leo XIV gave the last blessing of his Angolan trip at a place which used to be pivotal in the slave trade! The irony is not lost on us. Can you imagine? The church that authorized and condoned the slavery of the African race, denying it of its humanity, now comes to bless the continent at an ancient slave fort? In 1452, the church authorized the eradication, subjugation, and enslavement of African people. Who told the pope that this was okay? Dum Diversas or The Vatican’s Authorization of Slavery, Vatican rejects ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ used to Justify Colonial Quest and Theft of Land.

Pope Leo XIV at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Muxima in Angola (Source: OSV News Photo, Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV visited Africa last month: visiting Algeria (first time for a pope to visit the predominantly Muslim country), Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. While in Angola, he delivered a message of peace and reconciliation at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima in Angola, a revered Catholic site that once served as a hub of the trans-Atlantic slave trade !!!

The Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Muxima was founded in the village of Muxima in the 16th century. It stands on the left bank of the Kwanza River and is a contemporary of the Fortress of Muxima. Muxima was occupied by the Portuguese in 1589 and ten years later in 1599, the fortress was founded and the church was built with a prayer invoking the intercession of Nossa Senhora da Muxima – Muxima means ‘heart’ in Kimbundu. It was an important center in the Portuguese slave trade in Angola, protected by the fortress, and the church played an important role as it is where slaves were baptized before being deported. Picture this, a subhuman getting baptized to get his soul purified to be deported to another continent to be tortured and enslaved (didn’t even know that subhumans or things had souls!) ! The church was a hub of the Atlantic slave trade. Today, it has become the most important place of pilgrimage in Angola, getting over one million visitor from August 31 to September 1. It became a place of pilgrimage for Marians in the 19th century because of a suspected apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1833. In 1924, the church was listed as a historical monument and was later added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 1996. Is this freaking serious? Why, oh why are Africans so gullible? A place where our brothers and sisters were sold to slavery, where our ancestors lost their lives, a slave trade hub, is now a place of pilgrimage for Africans, because there were apparitions of the virgin Mary there? And you believe? Those ‘apparitions’ must have been the spirits of those who were sold into slavery and deported! And a century later, the same church who relegated us to below human beings, comes to talk of peace and reconciliation where they used to baptize these same subhumans to be sold out? And we go there? No matter what anyone says… we have to admit that there is something unpalatable with this picture!

Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição Muxima pilgrimage site in Bengo province, Angola (Source: Wikipedia)

Excerpts below are from Africanews.

Pope prays for healing at Angola shrine marked by slave trade history | Africanews

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Pope Leo XIV on Sunday delivered a message of peace and reconciliation at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima in Angola, a revered Catholic site that once served as a hub of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Set along the Kwanza River, the sanctuary became a pilgrimage destination after reported Marian apparitions in the 19th century.

Yet the Church of Our Lady of Muxima was originally built by Portuguese colonizers in the late 16th century as part of a fortress linked to slavery.

Enslaved Africans were gathered there, baptized by priests, and forced to march more than 100 kilometers to Luanda before being shipped to the Americas.

… “It is love that must triumph, not war,” Leo said in a prayer invoking the Virgin Mary, urging believers to act as “messenger angels” spreading compassion and blessing [Compassion? on a site which was the hub of slave trade in Angola?].

Praying the Rosary inside the modest church, he recalled centuries of “sorrow and great suffering” endured by Angolans, without directly referencing slavery. [of course… how could he? When they visit other continents they acknowledge it, but in Africa… silence].

Happy Mother’s Day 2026

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La mere et le bebe
La mere et le bebe

Doomu ndey dañu mel na baaraamu benn loxo

Les frères et sœurs issus de la même mère sont comme les doigts d’une seule main (proverbe Wolof – Senegal, Gambie).

Siblings of the same mother are like the fingers of a single hand (Wolof proverb – Senegal, Gambia)

Forced Labor and ‘La Marseillaise’ in Congo in 1934

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Senegalese Tirailleurs serving in France in 1940

There was a time when Africans of another generation, proudly sang La Marseillaise… That was the generation of the tirailleurs, the generation of those trained in France before and after ‘independence’, the generation who loved the Métropole. There was a time when, like the kids described below by Marcel Homet in Congo Français: Terre de souffrance (Paris 1934), Africans believed that France, the land of Marianne, could want their freedom or at least a ‘fair’ partnership. The current generation, after seeing the sweat and blood of their parents and grandparents in the uranium mines or banana plantations, after suffering, after witnessing the NATO attacks on Libya, Cote d’Ivoire, or the repeated putsches funded by France on their territories, or seeing their economy and savings fall to the exchange factor of their currency FCFA in Francophone Africa, or seeing these French and foreign companies plundering their resources for over a century with no roads no hospitals and barely any taxes paid… this generation has become disillusioned, and can no longer sing La Marseillaise. They have learned that singing La Marseillaise equates with the massacre of Thiaroye, the genocides in Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, and so many other places, or more recently the joint attacks of NATO on Libya. Singing La Marseillaise has equated to so much blood so much so that this generation no longer wants anything to do with France or imperialist forces.

Decapitated Heads during the French repression of Cameroonians in Cameroon

As you read the description below from another time, it is interesting to note how the gruesome conditions of from another era do not seem to have changed much with time. We are fighting today, whether in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso for dignity and for respect owed to any human being. We are fighting for the right to use our resources as we see fit. We are fighting for simple, human dignity. Below are excerpts from Marcel Hormet in Congo Français: Terre de souffrance (Paris 1934) where he describes a time of forced labor in French colonies, in this case Congo which was part of the French Equatorial Africa (Afrique Equatoriale Francaise (AEF)).

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In the village square of Loko, a few children – aged eight to ten – pass by, singing *La Marseillaise* in French. They vanish around the bend in the path.

Slowly, the tricolor flag rises up the mast planted before the chief’s dwelling. Everyone uncovers their heads. That anthem, still echoing in the distance, that song of liberty and hope, which can be so deeply moving, takes on a poignant significance here. Unwittingly, the children who proclaim it, understanding nothing of its meaning, are thereby giving voice to the aspirations of a people looking to France for some alleviation of the colony’s pitiful plight: empty bellies, festering sores, and an undisguised slavery, more rigorous than the trade ever was in the era of “ebony wood.”

In French Equatorial Africa, when exhausted slaves die, the local government replaces them, one for one.

Why, then, bother to hold back?

(Sur la place de Loko, quelques enfants de huit à dix ans, passent en chantant “en français” la Marseillaise. Ils disparaissent au tournant du chemin.

Au mât planté devant la demeure du chef monte lentement le drapeau tricolore. Tout le monde se découvre. Ce chant qui, là-bas, résonne encore, ce chant de liberté et d’espoir qui peut être si émouvant, prend ici une signification poignante. Sans s’en rendre compte, les enfants qui le clament et qui n’y comprennent rien manifestent ainsi les aspirations d’un peuple qui attend de la France un adoucissement au sort pitoyable de la colonie : ventres vides, plaies suppurantes et cet esclavage non déguisé, plus strict que ne l’a jamais été la traite à l’époque « du bois d’ébène ».

En AEF, lorsque les esclaves épuisés sont morts, le gouvernement local les remplace, nombre pour nombre.

Pourquoi alors se gêner ?)

Sad Moments in Mali : Fallen Brothers and the Black Winter

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Map of Mali with its capital Bamako

Over the past week, there have been severe confrontations/battles in Mali between the government forces backed by the proud people of Mali and the jihadists forces funded by the West. These intense attacks culminated on April 25, 2026, with the deaths of the Malian Defense Minister, General Sadio Camara, members of his family, and countless soldiers and civilians. We have learned that the attacks were complex, coordinated, and simultaneous.

General Assimi Goita

As always, the Western media celebrated, and wondered where the Malian president was, and told us that the rebels were now in total control of Kidal. On Tuesday, President General Assimi Goïta, addressed the nation, and told us that, “A violent halt was put to the attackers who sought to establish a climate of violence.” These attacks, as President Assimi Goïta shared, were “coordinated [and] of an extreme gravity.”

ECOWAS Members – old map

The attacks were quite complex, as they were very sophisticated; the bandits were no longer thugs driving simple motorcycles, but advanced military vehicles instead, had high technology, missiles, and even satellite access for such coordination, and much more. As you can see, common bandits cannot have access to such high tech or intelligence: where do they get the money? It is clear that they are funded by the West, with France at the forefront, Ukraine, the E.U. and thus NATO, and the ECOWAS countries which are governed by puppets of France (Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, Algeria, Mauritania). Remember that American general who lied about Ibrahim Traoré last summer visited several of these countries to establish other centers for the AFRICOM (What are American Troops doing in Nigeria ?)? This time, the jihadists hit almost simultaneously the cities of Gao, Kidal, Mopti, and Kati. You can see that this is an army, and not just ‘rebels’ as labelled by the western media, directly financed by the West with France in the front. It is said that they are numbering several thousand men.

Flag of Mali
Flag of Mali

President Goïta said, “Thanks to the promptness and professionalism of the armed and security forces, the attackers – whose objectives was to instill a climate of widespread violence in the affected localities –were  dealt a decisive blow. Thanks to the calm of the personnel deployed and the maintenance of a cohesive chain of command, the enemy’s nefarious plot was thwarted, resulting in the neutralization of a significant number of attackers. As I speak to you now, security measures have been reinforced; the situation is under control, and operations involving combing, search, intelligence gathering, and security consolidation remain ongoing.”

 

AES Logo

This, as you can see, is the black winter (dark winter), President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso referred to at the beginning of the year. However, what the enemy has forgotten is that Assimi Goïta, Ibrahim Traoré, Abdourahamane Tchiani are all proud descendants of the great Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, Kanem-Bornu Empire, and offspring of the mighty Sundiata Keïta, Kankan Musa, Samori Touré, and so many others; these are men whose ancestors have been fighting for their freedom for generations (like Malians fighting the French forces at the battle of Sikasso). The fight for freedom did not start yesterday in 2020, but has been ongoing for centuries. As President Goïta said, “Our people have made the choice, the choice of sovereignty and dignity. The choice is the expression of a national will, fully embraced and boldly asserted. It comes at a price, and we are fully aware of it. This choice is the only path worth taking if we wish to offer our children a future that is free, just, and prosperous.” As president Goïta told us in 2022, No Sacrifice is too Big for this Country.

Action, Action !

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Champs Africains
Champs Africains / African fields

Yalla yalla bay sa tool

Il vaut mieux cultiver son champ que de prier pour lui (proverbe Wolof – Senegal, Gambie).

It’s better to farm your field than to pray for it (Wolof proverb – Senegal, Gambia).

The World Bank Wants Nigeria to ‘Open’ up its Oil Market

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Flag and map of Nigeria
Flag and map of Nigeria

Early this month, the World Bank made recommendations to the government of Nigeria, asking them to open the country’s borders to allow imports of premium motor spirit imports. This is seen as a way to edge Dangote refineries. On April 7, the World Bank, in its Nigeria Development Update, recommended that Africa’s most populous country prioritize imports, stating that imported fuel will be cheaper than domestically produced petrol. Days later, after the outcry of Nigerians, the World Bank deleted its NDU report and clarified that its recommendation is not a blanket stamp on fuel importation but a broader strategy linked to reforms and consumer protection in Nigeria. It later reversed its earlier stance on downstream oil sector liberalization, stating, “In the case of Nigeria, the focus should be to provide targeted support to the most vulnerable people through their well-functioning social safety net system, and the World Bank Group stands ready to step up its existing support.”

Dangote Refinery (Source: Leadership.ng)

Recall that Aliko Dangote, Africa’s Richest Man Built One of the World’s Largest Oil Refineries in Nigeria, and is now supplying countries in the midst of the Iran war and blockade in the strait of Ormuz. This has been a major game changer for the country and for Africa as a whole. Picture this, you are an oil producer, yet you export the crude oil to be refined elsewhere and later on import it at a higher price and very often low-grade quality (Swiss Firms poison Oil destined for Africa). Dangote has changed this, and at a time where the world is in turmoil because of the blockade in the strait of Ormuz which supplies over 20% of the world’s oil, his refinery has been able to meet demands. The West could not see this ‘independence’ too well, because their oil companies used to own the oil in Nigeria and refine it, and sell it back at premium prices.

Fuel

My question to the ‘caring’ (sarcasm) World Bank is this: where were you when your oil companies, Shell, BP, … were spilling oil in the Niger delta, thus creating major oil pollution? Justice at last from Shell … for Nigerians! Did you recommend that they clean up? Did you recommend that they compensate for all the environmental damages, the loss of livelihood, water contamination, health problems, forced migration, and loss of lives, caused while making humongous benefits? Did you stop Shell when it sold its subsidiary to absolve itself from paying for damages? Yet, your sister organizations at the UN and several human-rights organizations have said that the scale and duration of the oil pollution in the Niger Delta amounts to such a severe environmental injustice that some activists and scholars have described it as an “environmental genocide.” Now the World Bank wants us to believe that it cares so much for Nigerians that it wants them to save money at the pump by allowing foreign imports! REALLY???

After the World Bank redacted their statement, how can sane ‘experts’ make a recommendation to any country that imports is better for their livelihood? particularly to an oil producing country to import oil? They must think we are idiots.

Nigeria should not bow down to that institution which has never helped any country in the world except the imperialist ones that it serves. Nigeria and Africa should stick to working towards its independence (economic, political, cultural, etc) from these vipers!

To learn more, check out the articles at Guardian.Ng, The Africa Report, or the Daily Post Nigeria.

God Holds Your Life

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Si Dieu ne prend pas ta vie, personne ne peut te l’enlever (Proverbe Mossi – Burkina Faso).

If God does not take your life, no one can take it from you (Mossi proverb – Burkina Faso).

Bassolma Bazie of Burkina Faso Sets the Record Straight in Lome, Togo

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Flag of Burkina Faso

On April 18, 2026, during the AES-ECOWAS summit in Lomé, Togo, President of the National Commission of the Alliance des États du Sahel (AES) for Burkina Faso, Bassolma Bazié set the record straight. His intervention was fiery and strongly contrasted the AES with the ECOWAS/CEDEAO bloc. He reacted to current political tensions in West Africa, while delivering a forceful political address in Lomé. He spoke in defense of the AES, and made a call for African sovereignty. His speech was a call to action, and at the same time a summary of the progress Burkina Faso and the AES countries have made on their own. I felt proud to be African!

President Capitaine
Ibrahim Traore (Source: sig.gov.bf)

He detailed some of the progress Burkina Faso has seen between 1960 to 2022 when it was ‘independent and democratic’ and ruled by the Western puppets, and since 2023 under the ‘junta’. The progress in 3 years is amazing, should be applauded and copied by all. Burkina Faso which never had air force bases, now has at least 4. Every citizen is happy to join in the effort of liberating their country. There were months when doctors and nurses who did not protest and understood the dire situation facing their countries did not receive pay; the President of the Faso, once the money came in, paid all the arrears. Burkina Faso saw its very first renal transplant operation last month; a first since forever! All citizens contributed, from their savings and salaries, over $2 billion to the cause of their country. Now that they are owners of their own destinies, they can do transactions without passing through the French slave currency FCFA, which gives them freedom to bargain with other countries and choose partners.

Here are some of the points President of the National Commission of the AES, Bassolma Bazié covered:

  • Assertion of Sovereignty : Bazié emphasizes that the AES countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger) are reclaiming their autonomy and refusing external interference. He said “they [the West] will no longer impose leaders upon us, our raw materials will serve our people” [“On ne va plus nous imposer des dirigeants, nos matieres premieres vont servir a nos peuples…“]. AES countries should control their own resources, define their own political systems, choose their own partners, and reject “tutelage” from former colonial powers.
  • Critique of ECOWAS (CEDEAO) : He argues that ECOWAS has drifted from its original mission established by its founding fathers, and now acts against the interests of its own member states. It has become an instrument of foreign powers, which imposes sanctions that harm African populations, and interferes in the internal affairs of sovereign states.
  • Defense of the Sahel Alliance : He presents the AES as a necessary response to security, political, and economic challenges, positioning it as a more authentic and people‑centered alternative. As you know, before the Alliance reclaimed its lands and its territories, the foreign forces and interventions had utterly miserably failed. Bazié says that sovereignty is not negotiable, even under pressure. Now, the Sahel countries have been fighting alone and faced terrorism financed by the same foreigners. The AES is building a new security architecture whose foundation is the cooperation between the 3 countries. He
  • Call for African Unity : Despite criticizing ECOWAS leadership, he calls for solidarity among African nations and urges them to rethink their alliances, to be really sovereign and to use their resources for their own people. Unity must be horizontal, not imposed. African institutions must serve African peoples, not external agendas. The AES is open to cooperation with other African states, but cooperation must be based on respect and equality.
  • Reaction to International Pressure : He denounces what he sees as foreign manipulation and insists that Sahel countries must define their own path.