Inside New Bell Prison in Douala, Cameroon, a unique music studio is transforming lives by giving inmates a platform to tell their stories through music, despite the harsh realities of one of the country’s most overcrowded and notorious prisons. Known as a “city within a city,” New Bell has developed its own informal systems, including inmate-run message delivery services, internal policing, and small markets where prisoners trade food and everyday essentials. Amid this environment, Jail Time Records has emerged as a symbol of creativity, hope and rehabilitation. Founded in 2018 by former inmate Steve Happi and Italian artist Dione Roach, the prison-based recording studio enables inmates to write, record and produce original music. The project has gained international attention, with songs reaching audiences in South Africa, the United States and Argentina.
One of the studio’s best-known artists, inmate Empereur, has attracted more than 24,000 views on YouTube with a music video filmed entirely inside the prison. Earlier this year, Jail Time Records also organized a concert for fellow inmates in New Bell’s main courtyard. “It’s an instrument of resistance… where we can share friendship, love and make our voices heard,” Happi told the BBC. “We don’t think anymore about the four walls we find freedom.” The studio is also the focus of the acclaimed documentary Jail Time Records, co-directed by Happi and Roach after six years of filming inside the prison. The documentary won three awards, including Best Documentary Feature, at the 2026 Tribeca Festival in New York.
Among the film’s central figures is Stone, a former member of Cameroon’s presidential guard who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for robbery and illegal possession of firearms charges denied. His song Heart of Stone reflects on loss, isolation and hope while the documentary follows his emotional attempts to reconnect with his young daughter. Oscar-winning New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi, who served as an executive producer alongside singer Rita Ora, praised the initiative, saying the project demonstrates how art can become a powerful tool for redemption and human dignity, even for prisoners serving lengthy sentences. What began as a volunteer arts program has evolved into an internationally recognized platform, proving that music can offer purpose, expression and a sense of freedom even behind prison walls.
