It’s the rainy season and the new school year is about to begin. From dawn ’til dusk, Mambar Pierette sews school uniforms and exquisite dresses for special occasions in her tiny shop in a slum of Douala (Cameroon). Mambar is not just a seamstress, she is also a trusted confidante to her customers. She knows all about money and romantic troubles, family matters and the problems of emigrating and returning home. But she also has plenty of worries of her own: flooding in her home and shop, an absent husband, an ailing mother, three children who need school supplies, and there’s never enough money. She has to overcome setbacks and disasters time and time again. She endures her situation with stoic calm, and refuses to put up with patriarchal oppression. Her hard-earned independence and the sense of community in her neighbourhood give her strength.

Drawing on her acclaimed documentary Chez jolie coiffure (2018) about the African diaspora in a hairdressing salon in Brussels, Rosine Mbakam has produced her feature film debut Mambar Pierrette with the same documentary patience and a cast of largely non-professional actors. The fictionalised experiences of her charismatic protagonist – played by Mbakam’s cousin Pierrette Aboheu and filmed by Fiona Braillon – sensitively and empathetically reflect the arduous everyday life in Cameroon.

Guest: Rosine Mbakam

In cooperation with the Afrika Film Festival Köln

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