40 years ago, the Nile Perch was introduced to Lake Victoria, killing off the native species but flourishing in the lake. This film examines the multi-million dollar industry that now operates there, but which has failed to benefit the inhabitants of the region and which may have even more sinister consequences.
by William Thomas |
Published on
Release Date:
02 Jun 2005
Running Time:
107 minutes
Certificate:
E
Original Title:
Darwin’s Nightmare
Austrian helmer Hubert Sauper takes us on a hellish journey around the shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania. The lake's original ecosystem has been destroyed by the introduction of the Nile Perch, which has killed native species but created a booming fishing industry.
Sauper questions the exploitation of this new resource, focusing on the street children, prostitutes and amputees that populate the lakeside, and the European pilots who fly possibly dangerous cargo in before taking the fish back out. The grinding poverty of the inhabitants' daily lives is shocking and humbling, but Sauper fails to firmly establish the link he makes between the fishing industry and the civil wars that plague the region.
The grinding poverty of the inhabitants daily lives is shocking and humbling, but Sauper fails to firmly establish the link he makes between the fishing industry and the civil wars that plague the region.
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