A Trip to the Country is a voyage in search of the illusion of modernity, which haunts Cameroonian society. With irony the film questions a model of development based on a particular concept of tropical modernity which can be summarised as follows: Everything from Europe is modern, while all things local are archaic and must be discarded. After the ravages of slavery and colonialism, the African continent now faces another threat: educational systems which perpetuate inferiority complexes and dependence vis--̉vis the West. This self-destructive mentality also establishes a social hierarchy placing modern city dwellers above backward rural people. The filmmaker retraces his travels as a child during the school holidays from Yaounde, the big city, to Bandjoun, in an attempt to understand the hopes, regrets and frustrations of the people in a changing society. It is a personal reflection on the merits of this race towards "modernity" that seems to have become a unique model for development.
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