In a world where illegal immigration dominates the political agenda in almost every developed market - where undocumented migrants are in fear of being taken off the streets in America - and where even in multicultural London, lamp-posts are draped in St. George's flags - Cameroonian director David Bingong has made a film that drips with empathy, insight, and even joy. I challenge anyone to watch it and not feel greater empathy and even admiration for the young men who risk their lives, fully cognisant of the risks, in order to make it in Europe and send money back home.
THE TRAVELERS is David Bingong's own journey from Cameroon to the Northern coast of Africa, across the sea to Spain. He made the journey just over a decade ago and documents it with his handheld camera. He is with a group of twenty or so twenty-something Cameroonians who have to sleep rough in the forest, and then take shelter in safe houses and tents where they find them. At one point we watch them inflate a perilously flimsy dingy for the crossing. It was so flimsy at first I thought they were inflating a mattress for the night. They worry about nature, the tides, the weather. They worry about the police and army who could shoot them. They face prejudice from the Arab-Africans in the North let alone the Europeans when they land. But throughout it all, this band of travellers are in buoyant spirits, and express their hopes, dreams and fears through a cappella singing. These songs are infectious and wondrous, but are sharply juxtaposed with the reality of the journey. One smash-cuts to the news that a group that made the journey ahead of them has all been shot in the water.
I am no bleeding-heart liberal: this blog used to be called "Movie Reviews For Greedy Capitalist Bastards". But my word, to spend time with these young men is to admire their courage, pluck and entrepreneurial flair. I cannot help but think that if young people with these minerals want to come and enrich our countries, why wouldn't we make an easier path for them?
I truly hope this doc gets wide distribution. I will not forget its "characters" - or that they are real men, their stories and their drive. It's so easy to see numbers and get scared. Far harder to see actual human beings and make those same judgments. This is film-making at its most powerful and urgent.
THE TRAVELERS has a running time of 60 minutes. It is playing at the BFI London Film Festival but both screenings are sold out.
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