Rule of Nature
This 25 minutes short documentary was filmed in Namibia, featuring one of the !Kung San communities. The director aims to show the audience how the formal education system does not serve the interest of the contemporary San hunter-gatherers. We hear stories from multiple people, ranging from an elder and a youth member of the community (Xága Tertu Fernandu), a Dutch school teacher and trainer (Willem-Jan Trommelen), a local community conservancy manager (Frans Gomeb) and a Namibian writer and farmer (Reinhard Friederich). The stories circle around the topic of adaptation to the so called “modern life” and the role that formal education plays in the process. The interviewed people mention several factors – such as the lack of mother-tongue educators, mismatch between policy and practice, alcohol abuse, and loss of land among others – that hinders formal education efforts. We also hear, that the traditional way of learning – storytelling at the campfire or children going out to hunt and gather to the bush with parents – are disappearing very rapidly.
However, the young !Kung woman still hopes, that a balance can be found, where traditional knowledge and school-based knowledge can co-exist, and support the communities. She advocates for self-determination of the communities, and wishes further training opportunities and development projects for her people. At the same time, the elderly Namibian farmer hits a more pessimistic note, saying that a “culture must be lived” to survive, and with current restrictions on practicing their traditional knowledge and skills, the !Kung have only two options left: to adapt or to die.
Apart from the stories themselves, the imagery and the relative slow pace of story-telling make this short documentary a worthwhile to watch. (review written by Attila Paksi)
Director: Dieter Primig
Writer: Gabriele Wadlig
Filmed in 2017
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