Campus Monde is a 53-minute documentary by N’Tifafa Yannick Edoh Glikou, exploring the migration challenges faced by those living in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. As the Ivorian economy undergoes significant social and economic transformations, the emerging middle-class dreams of opportunities in Europe and North America. However, they encounter severe difficulties in obtaining visas, exposing the myth of free movement and highlighting systemic inequalities.
The film focuses on the "intelligent immigration" consultancy, Campus Monde, which provides guidance and training to navigate the complexities of visa applications for Western institutions. Through this lens, Campus Monde examines the rise of private migration advisory firms in Abidjan and other African cities, reflecting the broader struggles across the continent. The documentary reveals how these agencies, legal or informal, address the growing demand for visa assistance and underscore the challenges of migration. Campus Monde critiques the unfairness of global mobility and the burgeoning migration economy that emerges in response to these barriers.
Those interested in immigration and stories of Africans will be delighted to see this title. Much like A Sense of Justice, Campus Monde uses a fly-on-the-wall styling inside the offices of Campus Monde, but unlike A Sense of Justice, we see the immigration struggle outside of France. These two films would pair together quite well not only because of their similar styles but almost as foils to one another. For many, the style will be a bit dry, but those interested in the lives of those living in the Ivory Coast (as well as similar experiences across Africa’s former French colonies) will be entranced by all the different people and their unique concerns and struggles.
Campus Monde does an excellent job of highlighting the unfairness of the system of immigration which places far too much value on specific types of work, limiting the movement of many in the Ivory Coast and across Africa whereas someone born in France would have no similar barriers to movement. This inequity is at the Heart of Campus Monde and will make it a hit with those studying all types of immigration. Highly Recommended.
Where does this documentary belong on public library shelves?
Campus Monde belongs in immigration documentary collections.
What kind of college instructor could use this title?
Those teaching the history of post-colonial Africa may find the best use in Campus Monde.