L'histoire
I've always had the idea of developing entertainment in Guinea-Bissau, because fortunately or unfortunately, young people always have money to spend on "amusement." Making money in a capitalist way is fine, but my ethics still push me not to do it haphazardly.
So, even if it's to entertain the audience, I want them to educate themselves, to inform themselves, to come out of the experience they will have with my games with greater knowledge.
I started working on the project during the COVID 2020 pandemic lockdown period after the birth of my son.
Escape games were just beginning to take off in France. This game involves a team of players locked in a room decorated with a theme and a scenario. The team has one hour to solve puzzles and other riddles to solve the mystery! Adrenaline is guaranteed, but cooperation and general knowledge are also required!
And get this, in 2019, there was NO escape room in the world, even on the continent, that used a truly African scenario (the only one that came close was on an Indiana Jones quest in Ancient Egypt and you know how some people whitewash the history of Kemet). That's where my Afro-centrism gave me inspiration! Talking about our Black heroes and heroines and their successes, making quests and scenarios out of them, and voilà!
The concept
So I have already developed the complete scenario and gameplay of the 1st room "Our Heroes are still alive":
Five great African heroes have been resurrected to liberate Africa, but they have been trapped by a traitor. After investigating, you realize he is holding them prisoner before killing them. You find yourself in this traitor's operations office. You have 1 hour to thwart his plans before his return and free our heroes, where they will die a second time... And you too!
I also have an idea of the layout of the room:
The concept
So I have already developed the complete scenario and gameplay of the 1st room "Our Heroes are still alive":
Five great African heroes have been resurrected to liberate Africa, but they have been trapped by a traitor. After investigating, you realize he is holding them prisoner before killing them. You find yourself in this traitor's operations office. You have 1 hour to thwart his plans before his return and free our heroes, where they will die a second time... And you too!
I also have an idea of the layout of the room:
Financing
From France, I had planned a "catastrophic" budget of €30,000, where I had planned a large part of "raw" work. I had set aside around €5,000 and I managed to raise €1,100 from a crowdfunding campaign at the end of 2020. Far from it, the project remained in the boxes. The vagaries of life in Guinea-B melted my savings like snow in the sun, and I struggled to keep the crowdfunding money intact all this time.
On the occasion of a business project financing competition launched by the UNDP in July 2023, I redid the calculations as close as possible to reality and the shops for rent "without major works" available and I arrivedat a budget on paper of €10,000 ($11,500). I imagine that the reality could go up to €11,000 or €12,000 at the most.
