Reviewed by Dibussi Tande
Elephant-People: An African Secret Society in the Age of Globalization. Written and produced by Lyombe Eko. Narrated by George Thomas. Shot in Location in Fako, Cameroon. 30 minutes.
In 2004, Lyombe Eko made a pilgrimage into the inner core of the Bakweri “Mahlé” secret society which he describes as "the most enduring aspect of the Wakpe culture” which “survived 125 years of colonial and missionary effort to stamp it out”.
He documented his fascinating experiences in an article titled” A Visit to the Maalé: A Festival of the Mokpe Secret Society of the Elephant”. In the conclusion to that article, Lyombe Eko wrote that:
“It was heartening to know that despite all the forces arrayed against it, the Maalé dance is a powerful instrument of cultural transfer… The Maalé must be preserved. It is a well-kept secret, a cultural jewel waiting to be brought into the multi-media age– for the benefit of the villagers, posterity and global cultural diversity and enrichment.”
Some three years later, Lyombe Eko has transformed the raw video footage which he captured during that cultural pilgrimage into a superb documentary which focuses on role of the Mahlé society in Bakweri culture in this era of globalization. More precisely, the documentary uses the secret society as a symbol of how the Bakweri are balancing modernity and tradition, and constantly seeking a “convergence of globalization, religion and cultural negotiation”.
"The Wakpe [Bakweri] had to negotiate and strike a balance between Christianity which condemned their culture as heathen and their pride in this culture. Like most Africans, the Wakpe have a foot in both worlds. Most of them go to church Sunday morning and in the afternoon pour libations to their ancestors."
In the documentary, we learn that the Mahlé is “Based on the African philosophy of transilience, the belief that each human has an animal side to their nature and can transform into an animal and back as the need arises.”
The documentary also sheds light on the reason why the elephant is the Bakweri totem. As one village elder explains,
"Our ancestors made the bull elephant our cultural symbol because it led them to battle. Those who have been initiated into the society can defend themselves and their people. They become invincible before the enemy on the battle field.”
Although the narrative in the Elephant-People documentary has an academic feel to it, this is definitely not a sleep-inducing and boring intellectual discourse on globalization and its effect on non-western cultures. Far from it! Elephant-People is a visually stunning documentary that colorfully introduces the Mahlé festival to the world. We see the legendary Mahlé masquerades dancing frenetically to the pulsating beat of the Jimbis or traditional drums. This is “organized chaos” at its very best, characterized by “a loosely structured series of choreographed improvisations, performances, and dances involving elephant men”.
Elephant-People is a captivating documentary whose crisp colors and excellent camera work, along with the very professional narrative, add to the scenic beauty of the mount Fako region of Cameroon where it was filmed. This entertaining and instructive documentary is definitely for anyone interested in understanding how Africans are negotiating the competing pull and push forces of Western and indigenous African cultures in the twenty-first millennium.
The main message of this short but captivating documentary is that although globalization with its "universal culture" is here to stay, Mahlé and all that it represents, is not about to be submerged, diluted or blown away by the siren song of “modernity”. In this regard, it is a symbol of the resilience and revitalization of key indigenous cultural anchors across Africa.
For details on how to obtain a copy of the DVD send an email to the producer.
Lyombe Eko teaches courses in Media Law and Ethics, Comparative Communication and Video Production at the University of Iowa’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
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