Friday, June 13, 2008
Article #1 from Volume 1, Issue 3: Your Media, Your Human Right
“Darwin’s Nightmare”
Yuhei Miyauchi
In a small town of Mwanza in Tanzania, the documentary “Darwin’s Nightmare” depicts a society in which ecologies and economies collapse due to Nile Perch, a type of fi sh released into the once diverse Lake Victoria. As a science experiment, the Nile
Perch started to kill other fish, resulting in the destruction of the ecosystem. Even though the Nile Perch was destructive, people started to do business selling this fish to developed countries.
This new economy allowed the town to flourish.
Unfortunately, the fish economy also adversely affected the realities families must endure. Street children whose fathers are gone fishing are left to roam the town; women who lost their husbands while they were fishing become prostitutes. Although the Nile Perch is exported to developed countries, people in Mwanza end up eating the remains because they can’t afford the good parts.
Furthermore, aircrafts, which come to Mwanza to load the Nile Perch, turn out to smuggle ammunitions to warring countries in Africa.
Although this movie acquired an amazing reputation when it first came out, many people have criticized it. One of their arguments is that this movie had a bad effect on the local economy. Jakaya Kikwete, the president of Tanzania, showed anger to this film, arguing that it hurt the image of the country causing a big dip of export of the Nile Pearch.
Richard Mgamba, a journalist who told a story of smuggled ammunition in planes that transport the Nile Perch to Europe, was in danger of deportation. “My family suffered a lot,” He said in his interview. “My mother who is now 62-years-old was shocked to hear that I am not a Tanzanian, though the allegations were baseless and unfounded.” Mgamba added, “Most western journalists tell only one side of the African story, which is the dark side and ignoring the good things that are taking place in
Africa.”
Although it may be true that journalists in developing countries mainly focus on the bad side of what is happening, it might also be true that the other side should be exposed. Even though the journalism in Africa has been growing and people in developed countries now have a better idea of what is happening in their countries, still each person’s face remains invisible.
In this sense, this kind of video documentary conveys not only the overall reality, but also just a tiny person who had typically been ignored.
“Everyone wants war.”, said Raphael, who is working as a watchman talks. “As soldiers, we get paid more.”
“I want all the children to be happy,” a pilot from Russia said sadly. “But I don’t know how to do it.”
“There’s a big difference between knowing and awareness,” the director of the film, Hubert Sauber, said added. “You don’t need me to tell you that kids are starving in Africa. But I can give you a different awareness in the language of art. There isn’t anything new in my movie. It’s all known. I just give it a face. Somehow that transforms our knowing into understanding.”
Although the ways of showing movies in this film are somewhat technical and they exaggerate, it is undoubtedly true that these people exist and tell the audience what they really think – not what they are forced to say. This authenticity gives the audience voices of people who would have been otherwise voiceless.
Yuhei Miyauchi
In a small town of Mwanza in Tanzania, the documentary “Darwin’s Nightmare” depicts a society in which ecologies and economies collapse due to Nile Perch, a type of fi sh released into the once diverse Lake Victoria. As a science experiment, the Nile
Perch started to kill other fish, resulting in the destruction of the ecosystem. Even though the Nile Perch was destructive, people started to do business selling this fish to developed countries.
This new economy allowed the town to flourish.
Unfortunately, the fish economy also adversely affected the realities families must endure. Street children whose fathers are gone fishing are left to roam the town; women who lost their husbands while they were fishing become prostitutes. Although the Nile Perch is exported to developed countries, people in Mwanza end up eating the remains because they can’t afford the good parts.
Furthermore, aircrafts, which come to Mwanza to load the Nile Perch, turn out to smuggle ammunitions to warring countries in Africa.
Although this movie acquired an amazing reputation when it first came out, many people have criticized it. One of their arguments is that this movie had a bad effect on the local economy. Jakaya Kikwete, the president of Tanzania, showed anger to this film, arguing that it hurt the image of the country causing a big dip of export of the Nile Pearch.
Richard Mgamba, a journalist who told a story of smuggled ammunition in planes that transport the Nile Perch to Europe, was in danger of deportation. “My family suffered a lot,” He said in his interview. “My mother who is now 62-years-old was shocked to hear that I am not a Tanzanian, though the allegations were baseless and unfounded.” Mgamba added, “Most western journalists tell only one side of the African story, which is the dark side and ignoring the good things that are taking place in
Africa.”
Although it may be true that journalists in developing countries mainly focus on the bad side of what is happening, it might also be true that the other side should be exposed. Even though the journalism in Africa has been growing and people in developed countries now have a better idea of what is happening in their countries, still each person’s face remains invisible.
In this sense, this kind of video documentary conveys not only the overall reality, but also just a tiny person who had typically been ignored.
“Everyone wants war.”, said Raphael, who is working as a watchman talks. “As soldiers, we get paid more.”
“I want all the children to be happy,” a pilot from Russia said sadly. “But I don’t know how to do it.”
“There’s a big difference between knowing and awareness,” the director of the film, Hubert Sauber, said added. “You don’t need me to tell you that kids are starving in Africa. But I can give you a different awareness in the language of art. There isn’t anything new in my movie. It’s all known. I just give it a face. Somehow that transforms our knowing into understanding.”
Although the ways of showing movies in this film are somewhat technical and they exaggerate, it is undoubtedly true that these people exist and tell the audience what they really think – not what they are forced to say. This authenticity gives the audience voices of people who would have been otherwise voiceless.
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Labels: darwin's nightmare, human rights, media, mwanza, newsletter, tanzania, university of washington, uwjhr, yuhei miyauchi
Labels: darwin's nightmare, human rights, media, mwanza, newsletter, tanzania, university of washington, uwjhr, yuhei miyauchi