Roving cinema plays public service role in Central Africa
BAYANGA (AFP) — A giant screen flickered to life in a remote village in the equatorial forest of the Central African Republic. Some 200 villagers avidly took in an evening of films, thanks to a traveling cinema team with the dual goal of entertaining and enlightening.
Ambulant Digital Cinema (CNA) recently brought its show to the southwestern village of Bayanga along bumpy rutted tracks, aiming to reach people living in remote parts of a deeply poor country scarred by violence.
“Some people are astounded when they see a car, so imagine what it’s like when we’re projecting films,” said Serge Mbilika, a state television journalist who brought CNA into the light of day in April 2018.
Silence fell across the clearing among the mango trees once a presenter announced the first film, her voice rising over birdsong and the chirping of crickets. Then, a booming voice surprised the audience. “If you don’t register your identity, you won’t be able to receive your retirement pay!” warns a man on the giant screen.
Before the show, Mbilika spent the afternoon strolling around the streets of Bayanga with his compact camera, filming villagers as they went about their business.
“This helps us to attract people’s attention before the projection,” Carmelle, the presenter, said. “Going to see them and filming in the afternoon gets people interested by word of mouth.”
During the show, which followed an hour of music and dancing, the viewers laugh to see themselves on the large screen.
“What do you want with that thing of yours?” a taciturn woman asked Mbilika in Sango, the local language, while grinding cassava a few hours earlier.
“You’ll see this evening, at 5 p.m. at the school,” Mbilika replied.
The prime aim of the roving cinema is to raise awareness of issues such as proper handwashing methods, the need for vaccinations and the ethics of forced marriages. The last film of the evening concerned girls’ education.
For team leader Mbilika, the evening was a success.
“We thought this was the best way of reaching out to people in remote regions. The big screen leaves its mark on some minds and they will talk to others about what they learned,” he said.