I had the opportunity to see a documentary called Darwin's Nightmare last night. The majority of this movie was filmed here in Mwanza, and it did a fairly good job of depicting the extremes of poverty found in this city.
The brief synopsis is as such: Some time in the mid 1950s or so, someone (the film insinuates someone of european decent) introduced the Nile Perch into Lake Victoria, where it had not previously been present. This fish is a top-level predator, and as such it then proceeded to eat the other fish around it, becoming the dominant species. These huge fish are not particularly amenable to netting, and must be caught by hand. Fast-forward to 2004- 25% of Tanzanian gross export is related to the movement of filets of River Perch from this region to Europe. The economic and societal impacts of this are far-reaching. While millions of tons of filets are exported by large russian planes out of the dilapidated and ill-equipped mwanza airport every day, millions of Tanzanians are starving to do death, forced to eat the remaining heads and carcases left behind after the filets are removed because they are unable to afford the filets themselves. The pilots of these planes feed into the local prostitution industry as well.
Its hard to watch. Its harder to be here having seen it; things look even more dire now. I've been to many of the places shown in the movie. And while I haven't been down to the beach communities just yet, I think I have to. I don't know that I'll ever look at a filet of fish the same way again. Definitely recommended viewing, you'll likely have to netflix or buy it, but be prepared for a very difficult 104min of suffering followed some serious introspection into how we live from day to day.
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Deb and I are usually up for an enlightening documentary. "Darwin's Nightmare" is now on our Netflix list. Thanks for the head's up.
ReplyDeleteThis is just another example of humankind's blind assersion that we can do anything on or to the planet without consequence, environmentally or anthropocentricly.
Nile perch in Lake Victoria, rabbits in Australia, starlings in North America- our good intentions are often misguided and detrimental.
The list goes on.
It is sad to think what we could do without good intention.
No wait, isn't that what biological warfare is about?
.W.
Not to be insensitive, but will you get to try Nile Perch while you're there? it must be damn good if they're going to that much trouble to export it
ReplyDeleteBah, always blaming it on the white man. Now, blaming it on the Commie Pinkos I can get behind!
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