Social networks threaten performing arts in Cameroon: Observers

By Aurore Bonny

DOUALA, Cameroon (AA) - Martin Poulibe, actor, director, producer and icon of African cinema, deplores the impact of social networks in the Cameroonian film sphere.

The 60-year-old Cameroonian has walked with passion and expertise in cinema across African borders to realize his multiple cinematographic works.

He is currently on his way to Chad to make a science fiction documentary. He finds the journey difficult but sees in it a reality of cinema far from what is usually done on social networks.

In his Central African country, cinematographic art is affected by a new generation of web actors who “swarm” on platforms, in his view.

"They devalue our art and give a false perception of the work we do and the resources deployed on the ground," he told Anadolu Agency.

Social media is a communication tool where art and artistic know-how count for little, according to Poulibe.

"Pretending to make cinematic or humorous art on social networks, as many do today to get noticed, is bludgeoning. It has nothing to do with what we do as actors," he said.

Such methods "devalue" and affect the worth of works made professionally, he said.

A real actor, said Poulibe, is known for his expertise, not as a "gravedigger of talent that kills creativity."

"As soon as someone makes a small video that is quickly spread, he’s considered a talented comedian or filmmaker, yet he doesn’t know the basics of these arts because he hasn’t learned," he said.

Poulibe, also a trainer of actors, argued that minimizing the importance of training explains the trivializing attitude toward cinema.

"It's easy to understand. If you don't know what you’re doing, you can't give it value. I trained young people in the art of filmmaking on a volunteer basis from 2013 to 2021. But the biggest rewards have been ingratitude from them because they didn't have to pay me or suffer to learn. As a result, they don't value expertise. You can't have fun with a hard-won education," he said.

- Artistic environment lacking

Poulibe also lamented how people do not go to the real icons or professionals to learn because they prefer to use easy paths to fame and fortune.

There is no real artistic environment but rather many “usurpers” put forward by social networks so real artists find it impossible to collaborate with, he said.

"That's why few are recognized on the international scene where they can’t cheat. We can give you all the prizes in Cameroon because they are bought but on the international scene. No one close to you will sell you a prize, only competence is rewarded at that level. Even great artists make a lot of effort to receive recognition," he said.

Poulibe pointed out an unseemly attitude of decision-makers, who, according to him, give priority to mediocrity and despise talent.

"When they have to choose representatives of the cinema, they appoint people by affinity who have no basis in this art and reduce the actors to be their assistants. We are in a society that promotes mediocrity. A mediocre person will be accompanied by a mediocre person because he or she does not know the expertise and that is how the profession dies," he added.

Young comedian Franck Amana shared similar sentiments with Anadolu Agency, saying that "with the rise of social networks, the performing arts especially traditional humor is threatened."

He said people do not go to theaters so much anymore because they feel they can contend with amateur videos on social networks.

"So they lose more contact with the real art of performing. They are content with the online videos of people who call themselves comedians but who mostly do not produce professional content that can be broadcast on TV, for example. Yet humor is an art, a profession that has its codes, its methods, and a whole know-how that must be mastered," he said.

Nevertheless, social media is an important communication tool for him because it allows him to expand his fans’ community and obtain advertising contracts.

It is also an opportunity for Poulibe to get closer in an interactive way to those who love his cinematographic works. It is also an important channel where he receives reviews and learns about his public’s expectations.

"It is also a way to present the know-how by sharing artistic experiences and tips," he added.

For actor Julien Eboko, social networks are “excellent ways to expose talent and propel careers. However, the ephemeral nature of the actions pushes some people to be hyper prolific to continue to exist, which results in the reduction of the quality of productions."

He thinks a real organization of his profession in Cameroon where professionals are not numerous is necessary to know art’s rules, valorize it and enjoy it.

"That will not be done on social networks," he said.