Le spectre de Boko Haram

While the other children play with clay in the classroom, Falta lets her gaze wander out the window: soldiers patrol the schoolyard, machine guns at the ready, gunshots ringing out in the distance. In the far north of Cameroon, a constant threat lurks in the mountains. Since 2014, the terrorist organisation Boko Haram has been attacking the village of Kolofata, committing brutal acts of violence. They also killed Falta’s father. But Falta tries to live with the loss; she is studious and hardworking. Meanwhile, the two brothers Mohammed and Ibrahim have no desire to go to school. They would much rather romp around laughing loudly or march across the fields like soldiers. But when asked where their parents are now, they fall silent. And at some point, the two boys themselves disappear.