Pierre Junior Ebollo still can't believe it. The director of the Eden cinema in Douala, Cameroon's economic capital, continues to express his disbelief regarding the country's August 21 ban on screening the globally successful Barbie. "This film does not promote homosexuality. At no point is there any scene that talks about that, either in dialogue or in action. The film was shown several times to parents and their children. Not a single parent came out of the theater to complain," said the exhibitor.
After Vietnam, Algeria and Kuwait, which banned the Gerwig film, among other things for "undermining public morals" and "promoting homosexuality and sex changes," Cameroon has now banned the film after just one month in cinemas.
Cameroon remains a country where homosexuality is heavily penalized. Article 347-1 of the Penal Code provides for "a sentence of six months to five years' imprisonment and a fine of up to two hundred thousand francs for any person who has sexual relations with a person of the same sex." At the end of June, Jean-Marc Berthon, the French ambassador for LGBTQ+ rights, was due to visit Yaoundé, but his visit was finally canceled in the face of government opposition.
"We ban any film that doesn't fit in with our values. We censor all films whose content is not appropriate for our young people. The film Barbie has content that is not acceptable to them," Professor Faï Donatius Tangem, Director of Cinematography and Audiovisual Productions at the Ministry of Arts and Culture, told Le Monde Afrique.
According to him, the feature film was banned "the day after screening" by the Ministry's National Commission for the Control of Cinematographic Films and Sound Recordings. According to a document obtained by Le Monde, Barbie was refused a distribution license and banned from screening on July 22. "According to the law, the commission has 60 days to view, analyze and give its opinion (...) It's up to the exhibitors to make sure of the result. They didn't" in the case of Barbie, Tangem declared.
"Barbie was released in our cinemas on July 21, after passing the censorship commission, which did not notify us that it was banned," Ebollo riposted. According to him, during screenings, when commission members notice scenes that don't correspond to "Cameroonian morals or the law, they let us know immediately. They notify us directly, even before reporting to the Minister that the film must be censored." In the absence of a negative response, cinema operators in Cameroon scheduled Barbie, "while awaiting the distribution license." "It's usually like that for most films, because if we wait for the license, we'll be late with worldwide distribution and won't be able to make any money. We were convinced that Barbie was approved. In fact, we've never received a note or anything," according to a manager at another cinema, who wishes to remain anonymous.
According to them, the situation changed in mid-August. Online articles and messages on social networks accused the film, which has already grossed over $1 billion (€920 million) worldwide, of promoting homosexuality, which is also punishable by law in Cameroon. In a press release issued on August 18, the Minister of Arts and Culture, Pierre Ismaël Bidoung Mkpatt, protested against "the proliferation of works without official licenses, not displaying age restrictions." The minister also reminded cinema operators that compliance with the laws governing the sector helps to "respect ethics and public morals, preserve good morals and national cultural traditions, and block the way to negative influences on young people."
Professionals were stunned. "The ban that has finally been imposed is backdated," noted Ebollo, director of the Eden cinema in Douala. "They're trying to pin the blame on us, and I don't accept it. At no time did the people who came to see the film mention that this film should not be played."
According to our information, the promoters will be summoned by the Ministry of Arts and Culture on Wednesday, August 30. Some already believe that "heavy fines" await them.
"It's an injustice. We showed Barbie because it had never been banned. The minister, cornered by public opinion, wants to hold us responsible," complained a cinema manager who also wishes to remain anonymous. For him, the censorship of Barbie "is already impacting takings" at a time when cinemas are trying to survive in a context marked by the high cost of living.
After the boom of the 1980s, movie theaters closed steadily in the 1990s and 2000s. Today, the country has just five. According to Ebollo, it's time for the authorities to review the 1988 law on cinema and "beef up the censorship commission," adding representatives of civil society such as clerics and teachers, so that their decision is "immediate and definitive."
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.