The German King

Greetings again from the darkness. This is not a well-known story, but history is chock full of individuals who stood strong when times were dire. These courageous souls deserve to have their stories told.

Writer-director-producer Adetokumboh M'Cormack brings us one of these stories, and he is even his own lead actor, starring as Rudolph Manga Bell, a Duala King in Cameroon. Bell was a man of principle who inspired his people to resist the German takeover. The year was 1914, and World War I had only recently begun. The film is based on the true story of Kaiser Wilhelm's attempt to assume total power and control from Bell. When the Duala King resisted, the Germans made a martyr of him.

The 18 minute film is structured around Rudolph's final letter to his son Alexandre, who 30 years later would assume the position his father once held. Rudolph's letter to his son cautioned that history may judge him a traitor, but the respected king explained his motivation ... something that inspired his son and generations of Cameroon people. The film is well made and tells an important story that deserves to be more than a footnote in history books.