Teno's cinematic essay is a lyrical, personal attempt to come to grips with what modernity means to Africa-how it seems to be taking a number of forms without addressing the needs of most of the continent's people. In the small village of Bandjoun, Cameroon, we meet men who make their living shoveling sand from a riverbed to make building materials for the city, see a footrace whose winner is awarded some pasta and a Coca–Cola tote, and spend time at a development conference where nobody can agree on what the word "development" means. This is a richly detailed portrait of Cameroon's complex cultural situation and a call for committed, creative responses.