Sentenced to a few years in prison in 1969, it would take 33 years before Cameroon's oldest prisoner walked free.
Upon his early release from Yaoundé's Central Prison in 2002 Léppé, who due to several attempted and failed escapes should only have been released in 2028, owes his freedom to the human rights associations that put pressure on the authorities to set the old man free.

The Forgotten Man is a documentary by acclaimed Cameronian filmmaker Lewat-Hallade that tells the unique stranger-than-fiction story of Owono "Léppé" Pierre, sentenced to prison for a petty crime but ended up spending three decades behind bars. Shot in the prison where the elderly Léppé spent the best years of his life, this documentary puts the spotlight on a man who, despite his cruel destiny, remains freer than most of us.



Directed by Osvalde Lewat-Hallade, Cameroon, 2003; 58min.