Daleko od Doualy – Lobe Max (2024)

A large and above all colorful African search and initiation road movie takes us along the famous Death Road No. 3 from Douala to the notorious neighborhoods in Yaoundé and further north to the borders with Nigeria, into a land of breathtaking nature plagued by terrorists belonging to the Islamist-separatist movement Boko Haram. We will embark on a wild ride across a country full of contrasts and paradoxes using buses, trains, and rusty taxis that 'remember the Germans in Cameroon,' from which, despite its natural wealth and beauty, young people are leaving in droves for happiness in Europe, a pursuit from which they cannot be deterred even by the throngs of those who return here in shame and empty-handed. On this journey full of colors, tastes, smells, and sounds, we will encounter various bizarre characters: the transgender Gazelle from Melenu, the local boss Omar from Benghazi, a drug and human trafficker, a Kafkaesque police inspector 'dirtologist,' and the shady pastor Ndžoha Sol. Naturally, there are also football players led by the national legend, Roger Milla, as football is 'elevated to a religion in Cameroon.' Max Lobe draws inspiration in his work from the traditions of Black African literature, folk tales, and storytelling, as well as the reality of the immigrant experience in Switzerland.…