Community as Capital: The Sustainable Path for Cameroon's Creative Economy
The writer examines how artists and creators in Cameroon can build sustainable income by cultivating devoted niche communities rather than chasing mass audiences. Using the PAKGNE group's successful premiere of 'Shenanigans' in Douala as proof of concept, the piece argues that a small, engaged fanbase willing to pay for quality work generates more reliable revenue than viral reach.
In an article I wrote a few weeks ago on the new wave of webseries and examining if that was the way to go for the Cameroon entertainment industry i wrote this;
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“And finally, Web series are another way to build an audience which you can turn into cash later. This can come in to solve the big problem of visibility and even of distribution we have in our industry. Take for example the PAKGNE ladies. Were it not for PR mess they had, their following would have been on a steady climb. They have a good following, both on YouTube and on Instagram. This is essentially their community. If those ladies decide to do a movie today, they stand a strong chance of having it screened at the major cinemas in Yaoundé and Douala.
Not only that, they can sell merchandise on the day of screening as well as promise commemorative photos to movie-goers and other trinkets as well. You’d be surprised how many people will turn up.”
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Two weeks ago Murielle Blanche of PAKGNE premiered her movie, “Shenanigans,” in Douala. As a matter of fact, the turnout was so massive that many people did not have seats. It turns out some unscrupulous person in her team had printed more tickets than there were seats. Consequently, a second ‘premiere’ was planned and those who were not able to watch the movie at the premiere were asked to return to watch it. Regular tickets cost 2,000frs and 3,000frs, while VIP tickets cost 5,000frs
And both screenings at Douala Bercy sold out.
This is not to toot my horn because my predictions, if one could call it that, came true. This is to reiterate on something we have been hammering on here on PoiseSocial. Tino, I remember wrote an article here titled “ON STRATEGY: MAKING MONEY AS AN ARTIST BY STAYING SMALL.” (You can look it up in the search bar if you would want to read it again or if you missed it.)
In that article, Tino writes: “There is a growing school of thought that ‘staying small is actually the next big thing’ and I am one of those who subscribe to that philosophy. When it comes to the world of music and art in general I think it is becoming more sustainable for artists to stay small. More and more, we are hearing people in the entertainment industry talking about the need to build a core fanbase - the nature of the product essentially demands that.
I always share this scenario with young artist that come to me for advice:- If you have only 5,000 fans who you can convince to buy your 4 track EP for 1000 FCFA, that is 5,000,000 FCFCA. Now if you do that 4 times a year i.e every three months, that is 20 million francs which is about 1.7 Million francs a month. If you only have 1000 fans willing to pay, then we are talking about 4 million FCFA a year which is about 330,000 FCFA a month; in Cameroon, that is good money. You are basically earning higher than the average civil servant that does not steal.”
The one thing Tino did not put in that article was how much value you have to have served served on a consistent basis before you can milk that cow you are fattening. The beauty about the internet is that you can find a niche everywhere. When you carve out a niche for yourself and you grow and maintain that niche, serving them with something of value - whether entertainment value, educational value, informational value or inspirational value - you are bound to position yourself and cement yourself in their minds.
This example of the PAKGNE girls is a clear one. I only think they should have gone further and sold copies of the movie after the screening. They could have done that via USBs At 1,000frs a copy at the venue and 2000frs for others, days after the screening. Distribution is a big problem and if you get that many people gathered in one place, you might as well strike the iron while it is hot.
So, define yourself in whatever hustle you are doing. Carve a niche by being specific in your product or service offering. Build your brand by serving that community to the best of your abilities. Work ungratefully by growing your community by asking them little to nothing. And when you must have reached critical mass, start milking the cow.
Happy hustle as the new week starts.
- Wandji Wilfred.
📸 cover photo by @RolandOnana (on Instagram). Other photos unknown.
This piece reflects a moment in Cameroon's creative economy when social media had begun to flatten traditional gatekeeping in entertainment, but distribution and monetization remained fragmented. The writer speaks to a cohort of emerging artists learning to bypass conventional industry channels—cinema chains, record labels, broadcast media—by building direct fan relationships online.
The piece articulates a philosophy that has only grown more relevant: that 'staying small' is not failure but strategy. In 2019, this was a corrective to hype-driven metrics; nearly a decade later, amid platform decay and audience fragmentation, the case for genuine community over algorithmic reach reads as prescient. It offers practical wisdom for any creator economy in the Global South.