Rudolf Duala Manga Bell — a German story

Two-channel video installation, 2021-2022 [67 minutes].

This film tells the extraordinary story of a Cameroonian King who used peaceful protests and rule of law to fight the brutal German colonial regime. 

To quash his resistance against their apartheid plans for his hometown Douala, for which he used modern methods such as PR and lobbying, the German Empire used a pretext to put him on trial for high treason without due process and executed him in 1914.

Rudolf Duala Manga Bell – a German Story, 2021-22. Two-channel video installation

Written, directed and produced by Henrik Langsdorf

Rudolf Duala Manga Bell swim scenes: Ronald Wekika, Yosef Yemane

Extras: Nadine Kiala, Monika Fayed, Esther Bresinski-Seehaus, Natalie Tönnis, Langston Henry, Balahan Ersöz, Tobias Trepte, Tom Edelkind, Wolfgang Wilke, Marilen De Schrevel, Phyllis Quartey, Kevin Vietzke

Narration: Thomas Stimmel, Jean-Pierre Félix Eyoum, Markus Strube, Stephan Szász, Nadine Kiala

Editor: Julian Emig

Animation: Kyle Griffin, Julian Emig

Sound designer: Peter Janssen

Camera: Peter Janssen, Ahmed Nafi, Frederic Hafner, Thomas Stimmel, Henrik Langsdorf

Camera assistant: Mario Hickethier

Production assistant: Marilen De Schrevel