Fund two years of studio access, mentorship and music production for formerly incarcerated artists in Douala.

Jail Time Records was born in 2018 inside New Bell Prison, Douala’s Central Prison in Cameroon—a severely overcrowded facility—as an independent, non-profit recording studio and music label. Its work is practical: to create the conditions, tools and professional framework through which artists inside and outside detention can write, record, develop and release music, building authorship, recognition and a path toward social reintegration.

In 2021, Jail Time Records built an external studio in Douala to extend this work beyond the bars. The funds raised would allow it to remain active for the next two years, providing a post-release space where artists can keep recording, use professional equipment, work alongside producers and sound engineers, and stay connected to a creative community.

The transition back into society is one of the most fragile moments in a ex-detainees life. Without structure, guidance and meaningful work, release can mean returning to the same cycles of isolation, stigma and marginalisation.

Our target is €50,000.

The funds will support:

– studio rent and running costs for 24 months

– a sound engineer and studio supervisor

– songwriting, recording and production workshops

– professional recording equipment

– mixing, mastering and release preparation

– selected video and visual production costs

– local coordination, reporting and operational support

If the full target is not reached, all funds raised will be allocated to the same mission, prioritising the external studio while supporting essential Jail Time Records recording activities where necessary.

This fundraiser is administered through BLOOM, the Italy-based non-profit organisation managing Jail Time Records. Funds will be collected by BLOOM and allocated to the post-release studio programme in Cameroon. Campaign updates will document the use of funds and the progress of the work.

BLOOM

Via delle Caldaie 12

50125 Florence, Italy

Fiscal Code: 94289310487

Thank you for helping this work continue.

Dione Roach & Steve Happi