Rowan Sullivan

311

Wan Pipel (Suriname) – Pride and Love in Post-Colonial Suriname

Wan Pipel Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

If you don’t know anything about Suriname, you should watch Wan Pipel! First and foremost it’s an ode to the beauty of Suriname, from the diversity of Paramaribo to the Amazon rain forest. Secondly, it’s also a commentary on prejudice, marriage rites, and post-colonialism. Check out the full film below (via YouTube)!

Why Watch Wan Pipel?
  • To see Suriname! You’ll visit the capital, Paramaribo, the Amazon jungle, and get a glimpse of Suriname’s diversity
  • It’s got a love triangle! But luckily this one is not clichéd
  • Witness some of the effects of Colonialism
  • To learn that you often need to leave home in order to appreciate it
The Breakdown

It’s the late 1970s. Suriname is now an independent republic after 300 years of Dutch colonialism. In Paramaribo (Suriname’s capital) a dying mother sends her eldest son Roy a telegram to come home from Amsterdam (where he is studying) to see her before she passes away.

Her son comes home to find his home country completely different to how he remembered it. In contrast to the stuffy Dutch society he is surrounded with in Amsterdam, returning to a vibrant Paramaribo reveals just how much he has missed his home country.

This is obvious in the tone of the film. In Amsterdam, he mingles with his white girlfriend’s family who crack bad jokes about Surinamese people as if he wasn’t Surinamese. However, in contrast, the mood changes right after his mother’s funeral when he is at home in Suriname. At this point, upbeat music starts playing and Roy gorges on all the street food Paramaribo has to offer. He even changes his shirt in the street, donning a  top with the Surinamese flag branded on the front. It’s obvious he is loving being back in his home country.

So there’s a love triangle that isn’t clichéd?

Yup. You’ve probably seen many cheesy love triangles in films such as Twilight, The Notebook, and Pearl Harbour, but luckily for you, Wan Pipel is different. The love triangle actually adds to the film.

  1. Firstly, on a superficial level, Roy’s relationship with Rubia, a Hindu Surinamese nurse, represents the diversity of the people of Suriname.
  2. Secondly, Roy’s relationship with Rubia highlights the prejudice in Suriname. Roy’s dad is incensed that Roy comes home and goes off every night with an Indian girl instead of staying true to his white Dutch girlfriend at home in Amsterdam. Roy’s dads loyalty to his son’s Dutch girlfriend is a sign that the colonial mentality has not disappeared with Surinamese independence.
  3. Thirdly, and perhaps most interestingly, the love triangle is an allegory for the unshackling of Suriname from Dutch colonialism. Roy’s relationship with the Dutch Karina represents Suriname’s attachment to it’s colonisers. It’s a relationship which he is forced to use to sponsor his ticket back to Suriname to see his dying mother. In contrast, his relationship with Rubia represents pride in Suriname’s diversity and it’s independence from Colonialism. She is Hindu, he is Black, and their success vs. Karina represents a triumph for Surinamese independence.
Conclusion and What to Watch Next

Wan Pipel is definitely worth a watch. You’ll feel Surinamese pride flowing in this film and all the effects of the country’s troubled history. Plus, it’s all available to watch for free right here.

If you are looking for more films featuring a rediscovery of how much someone loves their roots, check out Wallay. It features a mischievous boy who is taken and left in Burkina Faso with his Burkinabe family to work back the money he stole from his dad.

If you are looking for another post-colonial film, check out Cuba’s Lucia, which follows three characters called Lucia across different eras of Cuba’s history.

Or, if you’re looking for another good love film, here are a few great options we recommend:

 

 

 

312

Guiana 1838 (Guyana) – Slavery Wasn’t Abolished in 1833

Guiana 1838 Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833, but was it enforced? In Guiana 1835 you’ll see that slavery was replaced with another form of slavery: indentured servitude. If it’s available you can find the film here on Amazon or here on YouTube (with audio errors).

Why Watch Guiana 1838?
  • Learn about slavery and indentured servitude in Guyana – the educational video style interruptions in the opening 30 minutes of Guiana 1838 will give you a quick understanding!
  • See what happened to freed slaves in Guyana
  • Witness the whole process of the Indian indenture system
  • If you think the British Empire is something to be proud of
The Breakdown

Guiana 1838 starts with 2 white men on horses patrolling a sugar cane plantation full of black workers. He singles out one of the workers for questioning. When he doesn’t get a response, he takes the black worker to the whipping pole.

At this point, the film jumps to one of a handful of educational-video style interruptions to teach you about the start of the slave trade. In a few minutes, it gives you a brief low-down on how it started, why it started, and a few of the figures calling for abolition.

Then, jumping back to the dramatisation, one of the younger slaves overhears a man from Britain telling the slave owner that slavery has been abolished. She runs back to her family to tell them the good news.

Again, the film jumps back to an educational slide-show to show you the slave owners solution: indentured servitude. This was a system which lasted until 1917 in which people from across the British Empire (and further afield) were contracted or tricked into cheap labour. Guiana 1838 follows a group of Indians that were ‘contracted’ to work in Guyana (effectively tricked into slave labour).

Conclusion and What to Watch Next

If you don’t know what indentured servitude is or you don’t know much about the Atlantic slave trade, you should watch Guiana 1838. It’s educational style may remind you of the historical enactment videos you watched at school so expect to learn a lot.

Even though slavery has shaped the world perhaps more than any other event, there haven’t been that many films to document it, especially compared to the excess of Hollywood westerns. That being said, here are some films you must see:

  • 12 Years a Slave: the 2014 Best Picture Winner from Steve McQueen that doesn’t shy away from the reality of slavery
  • Sankofa: A Burkinabe film which provides a perspective of Maafa (the African Holocaust) that Hollywood rarely gets close to
  • Roots: The original iconic TV series based on Alex Haley’s novel featuring Kunta Kinte
  • Django Unchained: Yes, Tarantino’s film follows the ‘white saviour’ narrative and can be seen as insensitive, but where else can you see a film in which an ex-slave gets revenge on his white slave masters??
313

Sleepwalking Land (Mozambique) – A Classic Novel on the Big Screen

Sleepwalking Land Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Have you read Mia Couto’s brilliant post-colonial novel Sleepwalking Land? If you haven’t and you love reading, you should check it out now. If you haven’t got time to read, you can watch the film which does a great job at translating the novel onto the big screen. Check out the film here (Amazon).

Why Watch Sleepwalking Land?
  • It’s quicker than reading the book (although I recommend you read it if you have time)
  • If you like post-apocalyptic style stories
  • To learn about the effect of colonialism and war on Mozambique
  • If you like magical realism (made famous by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
The Breakdown

Sleepwalking Land starts with an old man (Tuahir) and a young boy (Muidinga) walking down a desolate dirt track. We are not told who they are or where they are going, but we can tell they are in danger. Not because, they are being targeted, but because they are roaming a war-torn country. They hide in the bushes as a gang of men bragging about killing people walk past and then reemerge to find a burned-out bus full of dead bodies. They decide to remove the bodies and call it their temporary home.

If you’re ever read or seen Cormac McCarthy’s The Road you might recognise this environment. In both The Road and Sleepwalking Land there’s an old man and a young boy roaming a desolate land trying to survive. But contrary to The Road where we know the two protagonists are father and son, the connection between the protagonists in Sleepwalking Land is never made clear.

However, we get a clue to their past lives from a journal that Muidinga finds by the burned-out bus belonging to a man named Kindzu. Each day, they read an extra chapter of the journal and immerse themselves in Kindzu’s story. For Tuahir, Kindzu’s life probably reminds him of his past life, which he has blocked from his memory. For Muidinga, Kindzu’s life gives him a possible explanation to his past which amnesia has prevented him from remembering.

Conclusion & What to Watch Next?

Teresa Prata’s adaptation of Mia Couto’s film is a worthy of your time. The main problem it faces is cutting the novel into 90mins, so if you’ve read the book you might think that the film crams in too much in too little time.

If you want to watch more films like this with characters wandering through desolate landscapes check out the post-apocalyptic The Road, which is good but bleak. You should also check out the art-house film Mimosas following wanderers from different centuries through the Moroccan mountains and deserts.

Or if it’s great African films you’re after, check out Abouna from Chad, a story about two sons searching for their lost Dad. There’s also Timbuktu, an Academy Award nominee from Mali where you’ll see the effect of the growing influence of Islamic fundamentalism on the Malian town.

314

The Pearl of Africa (Uganda) – A Documentary of Illegal Love

The Pearl of Africa Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

If you think it’s easy being yourself, you should watch The Pearl of Africa. You’ll meet Cleo, a transgender woman, struggling for acceptance within an country where it’s illegal for her to be herself. In fact, for ‘aggravated homosexuality’ she could be executed. Find out how she manages to live by watching this documentary on Netflix.

Image result for the pearl africa

Why Watch The Pearl of Africa?
  • To find out how hard it is for some people to be themselves
  • Meet the LGBT movement in Uganda, fighting for human rights
  • Learn a bit about the sex reassignment surgery process
  • Meet one of the most supportive partners there is
The Breakdown

We first meet Cleo lying half conscious on a hospital bed. It’s not clear what has happened. However, the stop motion animations of one figure punching another figure in high heels leads us to assume that she has been abused.

Uganda is a country with so much diversity, but there still lingers so much prejudice. Whilst different languages and religions coexist, homosexuality has been outlawed. Cleo and her boyfriend would get life imprisonment for a single homosexual act, and would face execution for ‘aggravated homosexuality.’ Simply put, it’s illegal for them to exist.

The director intentionally alternates between the news footage of angry protestors protesting against homosexuality and the serene relationship between Cleo and Nelson. On the one hand you have people protesting a sexual orientation they think is not normal. Then on the other hand you have Cleo and Nelson, a happy couple in love. Juxtaposing the two scenes makes the protestors position appear even more absurd as it shows they are directly protesting against happiness and love.

Conclusion & What to Watch Next

The Pearl of Africa shows you just how hard it is for some people to be themselves. Cleo is forced to leave the country to simply be the person she is. However, this is also a documentary of the strength of love. You’ll see how Cleo and Nelson struggle together to overcome their illegality.

To watch more check out God Loves Uganda which explores the role of American religious extremists in establishing anti-homosexuality in Uganda.

If you want to watch more African film which highlight social issues check out the fun Africa United, Beauty and the Dogs, and Black Girl. All are great film.

315

The Trader (Georgia) – Get a Glimpse of Life in Rural Georgia

The Trader Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Ever thought about going to Georgia? If you haven’t, you probably should (especially if you like hiking). In the meantime check out The Trader on Netflix. It will give you a 25 minute glimpse of life in a rural Georgian town connected to modernity by a ‘back of the van’ trader from the city.

Image result for the trader netflix

Why Watch The Trader?
  • Everyone has time to watch it AND it’s available to watch on Netflix
  • To get a glimpse of rural Georgia
  • It won the top short-documentary prize at the Sundance Film Festival
  • To witness the power of potatoes – they’re food and currency!
The Breakdown

First we’re introduced to Gela as he browses the stocks of various shops in the city he’s from. He’s looking for items to fill his van (his moving shop) before he drives into the country to sell them. As a trader, his aim is to pick any items his customers are likely to need or want, which he can then trade for a portion of the year’s latest potato crop.

It might sound simple, but it’s not. The village he drives to appears half deserted. The grey corrugated iron roofs match the grey skies and compliments the brown dirt ground. It doesn’t look like a place where you’d expect to make any sales. However, sure enough, a few residents and their kids gather round Gela and his shop (the back of his van) and start haggling with him for a few of his wares. After 2 days at the village, he ends up with a few kilos of potatoes to take home. Not a great crop.

But it could be worse, he could be one of the residents living in the remote village. He could be like the old man who regrets never getting an education. Or he could be like the young boy who has absolutely no idea of what he wants to be when he grows up, even after his mum prompts him to say ‘a journalist’. The place is completely devoid of dreams and full of regret.

Is the Trader to Blame?

Hard to say. Gela, the trader, is the only connection for this community to modernity. He is the only one who appears to make the trip to this remote village and give the population a market to sell their excess potatoes.

However, the market is tilted in his favour. The village community have to accept all the goods he brings to sell even if it is a load of useless rubbish. If they keep their excess potatoes they’ll only go rotten as it doesn’t look like they’ll have another opportunity to sell. Therefore they have to accept whatever Gela offers. So they’ll continue to buy second rate goods and as a result, their village never progresses as far as the contents of Gela’s van.

Conclusion and What to Watch Next

If a picture tells a thousand words, The Trader packs enough into it’s 25 minutes to constitute a few essays. Not because it’s complex, but because the dialogue and images so concisely document life in rural Georgia and the importance of one man, the trader.

If the rural town in this film struck you, I recommend checking out Kazakhstan’s The Wounded Angel, also set in a remote, hopeless town. If you’re into more arty film, there’s also Lav Diaz’s From What is Before which charts the effects of a dictatorship on a remote rural town in the Philippines.

Or, if you’re after more great documentaries, I strongly recommend you check out Makala. It follows the complete process of a charcoal maker from cutting down a tree 3 days walk from the nearest city to selling the final product (after walking for 3 days) in said city. It won Cannes Critic Week because it’s one of the most beautifully captured films you’ll ever see.