Why Barbecue - Pejo and not Barbecue Reno or Barbecue Touyota or Barbecue Datsoune ?
JEAN ODOUTAN : In almost every black African country where I’ve wandered, it’s the name Peugeot that’s been dominant. And as well, Peugeot, you see, is a force. The lion who roars.

What is the origin of Barbecue - Pejo ?
JEAN ODOUTAN : I was leafing through a compilation newspaper of the French-speaking world. I fell upon a hilarious article that made me laugh out loud. The story took place in the north of Benin, the region I come from. Some poor guy got himself screwed by his own cousin who was serving as the interpreter during some banal millet and manioc transaction. Anyway, this story reminded me of my childhood on the streets of Cotonou and all our nickel-and-dime scams to get our hands on ridiculous western gadgets. And like that, right away, I was inspired to do Barbecue - Pejo.

Under what conditions did the film come to life ?
JEAN ODOUTAN : Barbecue - Pejo came to life, I could say, miraculously. I managed to get an advance against the box office. I was able to convince a few excited beginners and we leapt into the adventure. A production director and a brawler by the name of Christian Lambert launched into the struggle along with me. I was the scenarist not quite sure of himself. I was a director starting from the ground up, with a long way to go. Producer because the game was worth the shot. Composer to calm my nerves. One or two people left me swinging in the breeze, so I became chief decorator and actor. There are those who see it as megalomania and others who see it as madness. For me, it’s destiny.

Tell us about Ouidah, which was one of the markets in the slave trade.
JEAN ODOUTAN : I opted for Lobagbome, my father’s village, in the adminitrative district of Ouidah. The most famous voodoo village in the region, perhaps the most beautiful. We also shot along the slave route and on the very beach from where those strange cargoes of ebony were embarked. Our emotions were overflowing... Otherwise, Ouidah is like a corner of paradise. The calm, the voluptuousness, the palm trees, immense beaches, bamboo houses, simple unaffected, unpretentious people, and not the least pollution. Everything is still pristine. It’s an ideal place to take a vacation, to peacefully end your days or to shoot a film.

And your immediate projects...
JEAN ODOUTAN : I’m editing my second feature film, Djib. And since it’s my production company, 45 rdlc, that’s also responsible for distributing Barbecue - Pejo, which is premiering 26 January in France, all of a sudden my life has become totally dedicated to the Seventh Art.

Interview written by an anonymous journalist incognito.

Everithing about Jean ODOUTAN