DIRECTOR’S NOTE
We work with and around music in different ways for many years now. Five years ago we decided to collaborate for a multimedia project that would deal with current trends in music globally. A first research trip in 2013 brought us to Ghana where we got to know a thriving, young, alternative music scene that fascinated us – two main musicians were Wanlov the Kubolor and M3NSA – the FOKN Boys – that now are two main characters in our documentary. We were both impressed and inspired by their fresh approach. Through parody, humor and direct protest these two and other musicians engaged critically with social and political issues, locally and globally. We shot and edited a long teaser, a short film, meant for our multimedia project that never saw the light of day. Ghana would have been one of many playgrounds.
Four years later the world had changed. Populist movements had become stronger, the US elected a new president and social achievements of past decades were put into question. Still in contact with Ghana, we decided with our artists friends to observe, comment and contradict. The idea was to collaborate closely and to look at today’s world from both, a Ghanaian, African and a Swiss, European perspective. With «contradict» our aim was to create an artistic dialogue, a musical kaleidoscope. Through small and big ideas, loud and quiet sounds, locally produced video clips and our own observations this film wants to reflect on our fast-changing world. A mirror of today. A call to contradict- globally and locally.
Peter Guyer and Thomas Burkhalter