Jail Time Records

Cultures of Resistance Awardee — Cameroon

Jail Time Records is a non-profit music label that created a permanent recording studio inside Cameroon’s Central Prison of Douala—the first of its kind to exist in an African prison. It releases music by detainees and former detainees, aiming to improve social integration and alter society’s perception of incarceration. The label is a collective of musicians, music producers, and filmmakers from both inside and outside the prison.

The project aims to expand its mission to other prisons, both in Africa and internationally, and to make a fresh and original contribution to music.

Jail Time Records received a Cultures of Resistance Award (CoR Award) and is using the award to purchase recording studio equipment and musical instruments to build a recording studio outside of the prison. This will allow the collective to focus on social reintegration and keep working with formerly incarcerated artists once they have left prison.

Visit their website here to learn more about their work.

Click here to return to the full list of awardees.