Trond Waage, Cameroon (60 min)

Visual Culturalstudies, UiT, Norway

Fulani, Gbaya, French - English and French subtitled versions

"Les Mairuuwas" is a film about young men’s dreams of succeeding in the city. The filmmaker followed water transporters in urban Cameroon over many years. The four men portrayed, are among the thousands that annually come from the Central African Republic to Cameroon searching for a better life. The film describes their daily struggles to make a living, how they try to get hold of a handcart, try to get enough to eat, and a place to sleep indoor. We follow ‘Uncle’ as he strives to earn enough money to take care of his son. Abel expresses the felt stigma and the need for another way of life after more than 15 years as a water transporter. Their belonging as a group and their possibilities to get work in the neighborhood is dramatically challenged when Bachirou is arrested.