Our Monique Documentary secures Eastern Nigeria Film Festival Award Nomination
BUEA, Cameroon – The groundbreaking documentary Our Monique, which delves into the challenges of maternal healthcare in Cameroon, has been nominated for the prestigious Eastern Nigeria Film Festival (ENFF) Award 2024, a dynamic platform for independent filmmakers, artists, and storytellers to showcase their talents in film and digital media
Directed by Epoh Severin, Technical Lead at the Foretia Foundation, Our Monique tells the story of Monique Koumatekel, a 34 years old pregnant woman who died with her twins in front of one of the largest public hospitals in Douala due to lack of assistance.
“It is amazing for me; our film documentary went beyond our borders. This international recognition for the quality of the production that we did and the power of the message behind it is the way forward for our production team,” Epoh Severin told Pan African Visions.
“If you put yourself in the place of Monique, you understand how terrible and sad this story looked. Telling her tragic story in a short film documentary was a way for us to remember ourselves what happened, when it happened, and why it happened, so that we should not forget and get lessons from there. Because we are not sure that since the incident happened, we still not have pregnant woman passing away due to lack of assistance.”
Epoh Severin, Technical Lead at the Foretia Foundation and director of the Our Monique documentary
Epoh Severin added: “So, we were inspired by the vision of never seeing a woman lose her life again during childbirth, regardless of her socioeconomic status. Beyond the medical care in Cameroon, we wanted to raise awareness and reactivate the debate on maternal mortality, women's health advocacy, and barriers to private health insurance in Cameroon.”
The documentary by the Nkafu Policy Institute was done with support from the Atlas Network and Add Firewater. Monique's story is unfortunately not an isolated case. Many Cameroonians lose their lives every day due to the inability to access healthcare services because of financial constraints. Additionally, implementing a health insurance system has proven difficult, preventing it from being a viable option for the population. Eight years after this harrowing incident, some changes can be identified.
While Cameroon has made progress in reducing maternal mortality rates, from 782 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2011 to 211 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, according to the District Health Information Software, these figures remain unacceptably high when viewed through the lens of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 3.1.1, which aims to reduce the maternal mortality ratio to 70 deaths per 100,000 live births – a target that Cameroon has yet to achieve.
Beyond the cold statistics, however, Our Monique, humanizes the issue, reminding us that behind every number is a life lost, a family shattered, and a community robbed of its potential. In doing so, the documentary advocates for the fundamental rights of women to access safe, affordable, and quality healthcare services, calling for a systemic overhaul that prioritizes the health and well-being of pregnant women.
The barriers to maternal health in Cameroon are multifaceted and deeply rooted. Inadequate knowledge about reproductive health services and contraception, coupled with limited access to prenatal and obstetric care, contribute significantly to the problem.
Monique's story is unfortunately not an isolated case. Many Cameroonians lose their lives every day due to the inability to access healthcare services because of financial constraints.
“Our documentary is a call to action addressed to the policy makers for better policy that will enforce our health care system. Also, it was a call to the government to accelerate the implementation of universal health coverage, where pregnant women will benefit from some facilities during their pregnancy. Our film documentary is also a call to the medical personnel to treat people with empathy, with dignity and with humanity,” Epoh Severin said.
