Campus Monde

N'tifafa Y.E. Glikou
Senegal, Benin, France | 2024 | 52 min
World premiere
Language : French
Subtitles : English, French

Jury Prize for the best Medium Length Film offered by Clinique de Genolier

In Abidjan, at an “intelligent immigration” consultancy, young Ivorians are guided through the challenges posed by the Western institutions that grant visas. Against an ever-present backdrop of suspicion, their dream must be earned, in exchange for steep sums and an uncertain outcome. Stark and poetic.

In Abidjan, at the "intelligent immigration" consultancy Campus Monde, young Ivorians are given training and guidance to help them navigate skilfully through the challenges posed by the western institutions that grant visas. Visiting family, studying abroad, obtaining a work visa – there are many reasons to call on its services, but the hope remains the same: that of a better future "over there". But that dream must be earned, in exchange for large sums of money, numerous language lessons and tortuous administrative processes, all with no guarantee of that prized golden ticket. Hampered by almost impenetrable borders, obtaining a residence permit in these countries is ludicrously complex, turning the process into a kind of bewildering job interview, always with the same underlying suspicions that betray the Westerners’ distrust of black people. In story after story, it becomes clear how arbitrary consular decisions can be, reminding us that the rules of the game are not the same for everyone. Raw and poetic, Campus Monde subtly conveys the ambivalence between the promises of the wider world, young Ivorians' hopes for a more prosperous future, and the brain drain that is dramatically emptying the country.
Bastien Bento

Campus Monde, 2024
Et notre Afrique sur scène, 2017
Sunu Biir, 2017