Films

A portrait of one of the richest Cameroonian industrialists Al Hajji Mohamadou Ousmanou Abbo.

Filmed over a period of more than ten years, the red thread of the story is the construction of Al Hajji’s spectacular palace on the outskirts of his native town of Ngaoundéré in Northern Cameroon. The camera follows Al Hajji on various arenas in France, Italy and Cameroon. We learn about his relationships and negotiations with the local population, European artisans who work on the construction of his palace, his business partners in the country and abroad, as well as local, regional and national authorities and politicians.

Al Hajji’s impact on local economy, politics and society at large provokes ambiguous feelings among those around him. The film tries to contextualise the choices he makes and show the various layers and conflicting forces with which he has to deal in everyday life. Progressively, the viewer discovers that the rich man from the poor country can offer new insights about you and me, about poor and rich countries alike.