喀麦隆杜阿拉的New Bell监狱内建立了一家名为Jail Time Records的音乐工作室和唱片公司，由前囚犯Steve Happi和意大利艺术家Dione Roach于2018年共同创办 [1]。这一项目为狱中音乐人才提供创意表达的途径，制作的歌曲获得了国际关注 [1]。Steve Happi现任Jail Time Records的制作人和音频工程师 [1]，而Dione Roach担任联合创始人 [1]。
围绕该项目拍摄的纪录片耗时六年制作，于去年在纽约Tribeca电影节获得三项奖项，其中包括最佳纪录片长片奖 [1]。该纪录片由新西兰奥斯卡获奖导演Taika Waititi与妻子Rita Ora担任执行制片人 [1]。该工作室已成为一个改造和救赎的平台，为服刑人员提供自我发现和社会认可的机会 [1]。
New Bell监狱因监禁条件恶劣而声名狼藉。根据Human Rights Watch 2022年的报告，该监狱关押4700名囚犯，是其实际容量的四倍 [1]。2022年，Happi、Roach和狱中艺术家发行了专辑《Jail Time Vol 1》 [1]。Jeje成为Jail Time Records的第一位女性艺术家，于同年首次亮相 [1]。该项目的影响力不断扩展，2023年Jail Time Records在布基纳法索首都瓦加杜古的中央监狱建立了工作室 [1]。
New Bell Prison in Douala, Cameroon, has become home to Jail Time Records, a music production studio and record label founded in 2018 by former inmate Steve Happi and Italian artist Dione Roach.[1] The initiative provides creative outlets for musically talented prisoners and has garnered international attention through recordings produced within the facility's walls.[1] A documentary chronicling the project, which took six years to complete, won three awards at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York last year, including Best Documentary Feature.[1] The film was executive produced by New Zealand Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi and his wife, singer Rita Ora.[1]
The prison, which according to a 2022 Human Rights Watch report holds approximately 4,700 inmates—four times its intended capacity—has transformed through this music initiative into a platform for rehabilitation and redemption.[1] In 2022, Happi, Roach, and incarcerated musicians released the album "Jail Time Vol 1," while Jeje became the project's first female artist that same year.[1] The venture has expanded beyond Cameroon's borders; in 2023, Jail Time Records established a studio 1,000 miles away at the central prison in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.[1]