Profanation : Reconciling With African Tradition

When one looks at the African continent and Cameroon in particular, it is easy to notice that, youths do not master their true history and are ignorant of the effects of violating traditional rites and customs. It is in this light that Jean Marc Anda and Tony Arnaud Tsowo Teguia, producer and director respectively decided to shoot the movie “Profanation”.

“Profanation” is a film that tells the story of four university students in cinema and audio visual training, who decide to visit the village of Baham, in the West Region of Cameroon, in a bid to produce a documentary on the harvest of cocoa, for their end-of-training project. In the course of their stay in Baham, they disrespect the traditions and customs of the area.

The students did not only step on a sacred land (Fovu cave), but mistakingly desecrate a sacred tree. They later suffer the consequences of their actions, as the ancestors’ anger falls on them. Besides noticing strange mystical happenings, one of them is possessed by ancestral spirits and starts killing his mates. This marks the beginning of their ordeal and each of them tries by all means to survive and quit the village. 

Through local actors and actresses like Desirée Kwakep (Eyana), Anne Marie Kom (Muna), Tony Arnaud T...