Xabsiga Caanka ah ee New Bell ee Cameroon oo leh Sumad Muusig oo Xabsiga Dhexdiisa Ah

Xabsiga New Bell ee magaalada Douala ee Cameroon waa xarig caan ah oo dad badan ku hayo, waxaana dhexdiisa ka dhex shaqaynaya nidaamyo aan rasmi ahayn. Mid ka mid ah waxyaabaha ugu muuqda waa Jail Time Records, oo ah istuudiyo muusig oo xabsiga dhexdiisa yaalla.

Nidaamyada Xabsiga iyo Suuqa

New Bell wuxuu leeyahay nidaam gaadiid oo aan rasmi ahayn oo 'taxis' la yiraahdo, oo ah maxaabiista faraha ku gudbisa farriimaha barxadaha dadka badan leh. Sidoo kale waxaa jira koox booliis ah oo maxaabiista waaweyn ay ka mid yihiin oo gargaara ilaalada xariga.

Suuq aan rasmi ahayn ayaa xabsiga dhexdiisa ku yaalla, halkaas oo maxaabiistu ku iibiyaan kuna gataan alaabo ay ka mid yihiin cassava shiilan iyo buskud beignet ah. Sannadkii 2022, Human Rights Watch waxay soo wariyeen in 4,700 maxbuus ay xabsiga ku jireen, oo ah afar jibaar awooddiisa.

Jail Time Records iyo Aasaaskiisa

Jail Time Records waxaa la aasaasay 2018, markii Dione Roach uu tabaruc ugu shaqaynayay urur aan dawli ahayn oo dhacdooyin xabsiga dhexdiisa qabta. Intii lagu jiray fasalka qoob-ka-ciyaarka, koox rap ah ayaa mikrofonka la wareegtay, Roachna ogolaansho ka gashay mas'uuliyiinta si uu istuudiyo u furo.

Mas'uuliyiintu way soo dhaweeyeen codsiga, Roachna wuxuu xilalka u dhiibay Steve Happi inuu maamulo istuudiyaha. Happi wuxuu xabsiga ugu dhacay muran qoys oo ku saabsanaa aaska aabihiis, ayaddiina eedaysan tahay in eeddadiis oo garsoore ahayd ay xabsiga ku tuurtay.

Guulaha Muusiga iyo Dukumentiga

Happi wuxuu BBC Tellies Movies ku yiri: 'Waa qalab iska caabin… halka aan dhab ahaan uga wadaagno saaxiibtinimada, jacaylka oo codadkayagu maqlaan'. Wuxuu sidoo kale yiri: 'Mar dambe kama fikirno afarta derbi - waxaan helnay xorriyadda'. Dukumentigii istuudiyaha wuxuu ku guuleystay saddex abaalmarin Tribeca.

Taika Waititi oo soo saare ku xilnaa ayaa yiri: 'Muusiga halkaas ka soo baxa waa mid yaab leh'. Wuxuu intaa ku daray: 'Awoodda farshaxanku waxay la xiriirtaa madax-bannaanida, oo ah wax aad u awood badan oo bini'aadantinimo ah'. Empereur wuxuu helay 24,000 daawasho YouTube.

Jail Time Records turns inmate creativity into award-winning music and film

New Bell, a notorious prison in Douala, Cameroon, operates as a self-contained city with its own market and informal systems. Within its walls, Jail Time Records functions as an on-site music studio and label, producing songs by inmates that reach global audiences.

Origins of the prison studio

Jail Time Records was founded in 2018 after Dione Roach volunteered at New Bell and saw rappers freestyle during a dance class. She requested and received permission from receptive prison authorities to start a studio, then enlisted former inmate Steve Happi as producer.

Happi reached New Bell after a family dispute over his late father's body; his aunt, a high court judge, allegedly had him jailed for killing his father. He was acquitted two years later and co-founded the label, later releasing Jail Time Vol 1 in 2022 with profits split between artists and reinvestment.

Music as rehabilitation and recognition

The Jail Time Records documentary, directed by Happi and Roach over six years, won three prizes including best documentary feature at Tribeca. Taika Waititi, executive producer, said: 'The music that comes out of there is amazing' and praised art's redemptive power.

Roach told the BBC the work is 'a rehabilitation process' without judgment, where 'music... is also a way of self-discovery'. Happi said the label is 'this instrument of resistance… where we can really share friendship, love and our voices can be heard'.

Harsh reality behind the songs

New Bell housed 4,700 prisoners in 2022 — four times capacity — with cholera killing at least six in an outbreak four years ago. In 2008, guards shot 16 inmates dead during a breakout, underscoring the prison's violence and dire conditions.

Empereur, a gang leader serving 10 years and son of a Douala chief, filmed a prison music video with 24,000 YouTube views. Inmate Stone, ex-presidential guard, got 10 years for robbery and firearms, insists innocence, and tries reaching daughter Maira.