Darwin's Nightmare

THE TRUTH ON HUBERT SAUPERS- DARWINS NIGHTMARE FILM

Darwins Nightmare film was produced by a freelance journalist of Austrian descent based in France.

The film maker, Mr. Hubert Sauper tries to portray that the Nile Perch (Sangara) trade from Mwanza region in Tanzania facilitates poverty, hunger, prostitution, homelessness to children, environmental destruction, loss of lake Victoria biodiversity and human rights abuse in the area. He further claimed that Nile Perch business in Tanzania is a door for importing ammunition to the Great Lake Region.

Mr. Sauper claims that high quality Nile Perch fillets are exported to the European market while the locals are left with fish remains, specifically the head and skeleton, popularly known by the Kiswahili word mapanki.

Mr. Sauper mentions Christmas festivities during which European children enjoy high quality food (fish fillets) while their counterpart in Africa instead of such food staff received ammunition.

Mr. Sauper in his film inserts a number of scenes that are not natural (cooked one). This implies that inserts were done purposely so as to achieve the intended goal of cheating and tarnishing the good image of Mwanza and Tanzania in general.

Mr. Sauper had an intention of showing that Nile Perch business in Tanzania is the main cause of poor living conditions and source of various ailments to the people who reside around lake Victoria.

1. ABJECT POVERTY
Mr. Sauper shoot homeless children, fishing camps, prostitutes, children with malnutrition, and HIV/AIDS patients so as to capture the picture of poverty in the fishing areas.

He also shoot fishing landing sites, the areas for drying fish from fish processing factories, fish camps and slums in which homeless dwell. He did this to show poor sanitation in the area. Additionally, in his film he portrayed unhygienic environment in fish processing industries.

Mr. Sauper tried to link abject poverty to fisheries activities. It is obvious that poverty related issues exist in our society, but poverty is a wide concept, which is linked to other factors, including socio-economic and political issues.

The truth is, Nile Perch business has done a lot to increase income for the people around lake Victoria, particularly through export of fish fillets.

Since the introduction of the business in the early 90s, statistics shows that a number of fishers have been increasing, from 30,000 to 400,000 (300,000 people play part as part timers and 100,000 as full time fishers) todate. On top of this fish processing industries employs over 4,000 people.

The industry has a big multiplier effect which puts the total employment at about two million people, deriving livelihoods from extended activities in fishing vessel construction and repair, fishing gears and related equipment construction and maintenance, food vending, water and road transportation of fish, railway and airport workers.

The government has continued putting efforts in modernising fish landing sites to meet the required safety and international standards for fish products.

Special trucks (Boxed van) are used in transporting fish to industries. Frequently inspection on trucks to ensure safety and international standards for such work is always conducted. Special boxes (clean insulated containers) are used in storing fish in the trucks. To ensure that, the trucks are specifically for fish transportation, they are labeled STRICTLY FOR FISH and hence are not allowed to carry anything other than fish.

2. HUNGER AND MALNUTRITION

Mr. Sauper in his film claims that about 500 tones of Nile Perch fillets are exported abroad daily, while at the same time locals are starving. The film shows the following footage;

Homeless children in poor living condition without assurance of getting food.
He defended himself by showing the footage of children with poor health, sorrowfulness, hunger, loosing hope and those who fight for food while eating.

He also quoted electronic media (Radio and Television) broadcasts on food shortage in the country.
During that time not only food shortage faced Tanzania but also other Sub-Saharan countries and that was caused by the climate change.

Mr. Sauper fails to differentiate between the words hunger and poor nutrition. Basically fish alone is not the main dish but is used as a supplementing item to the main food.

However, purposely the Tanzanian government has allowed only the exportation of Nile perch fillet while the rest of fish species like Tilapia, Sardines, Haplochromids and catfishes, are reserved for the local market to ensure fish protein supply.

Statistics show that Lake Victoria, on the Tanzanian side produces about 475,000 tons of fish annually, of which the Nile Perch accounts for around 125,000 tons. The factories process 80,000 tons of Nile Perch for export. This leaves 45,000 tons of Nile perch and 350,400 tons of other fish species totaling 395,400 (83%) for local consumption.

3. PROSTITUTION AND ALCOHOLISM

Mr. Sauper portrays how girls engaged in prostitutions so as to earn a leaving. He shows homeless children who were also involved in hooliganism and prostitution activities.

The fact is that the above activities are everywhere, in both developing and the so-called developed countries. However it is noted that prostitutions is legalized in some developed countries.

4. ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION

Mr. Sauper deliberately connects footages taken from several areas (far from Lake Victoria) to show environmental destruction and the loss of Biodiversity within and around the lake Victoria. In reality lake Victoria leads among other lakes for variety of fish stocks.

It is known that the Lake is faced with environmental degradation, however efforts to make sure that the lake and its resources are sustainably used for the present and future generations are underway. For example, efforts to preserve environment within lake Victoria is done in partnership with donors such as the World Bank (WB) specifically on Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMP) and the European Union (EU) through the Implementation of Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) under the supervision of the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO).

4. ARMS SMUGGLING

Mr. Sauper had malicious intentions of;

* Linking arms transportation from European countries to Africa, via Tanzania to the Great Lakes Region. Mwanza airport has been used as a corridor for smuggling arms. He uses the existence of cargo planes that carry fillets from Mwanza to the European markets as a proof of arms smuggling through Tanzania.

* Portraying Tanzania as a country of troublemakers who at anytime can embark on war with her neighbours.

The fact is that Mwanza airport has never been used as a gateway for arm smuggling.

Moreover, Tanzania is not a country of troublemakers as revealed by her unique history but only of peacemaker.

Mr. Sauper allegations are far from the truth since he has so far failed to prove how planes brought in arms at the Mwanza airport. Lots of his scenes have been done at nights, which proves that he is a cheater and liar.

Further, from his film, a number of scenes are pre-planned and arranged (cooked), such as;

* Homeless children fighting for the food and sniff gas (petrol).
* Interviewed prostitutes in different nightclubs.
* A watchman (guide) interviewed as a fisherman, while he is not.
* The producer asks leading questions so as to get the intended answers of his choice.

CONCLUSION

Mr. Sauper intention was to destroy Tanzanias lucrative business on Nile Perch abroad, specifically to the European market. The film is misinforming and misleading not only Tanzanians but also other stakeholders and the World at large, in the fight against poverty.

Mr. Sauper failed to mention other neighbuoring countries, which share the same lake, which also carry out Nile perch business.

Part of the shots are not from the scene of 2003 when Mr. Sauper produced his film, but they are from 1992-1996 when the Nile perch business was still at the infancy stage.

We strongly condemn Saupers film as it is intended to suppress the Tanzanian government efforts to fight poverty through Nile Perch exportation.

More infomation available at http://www.darwinsnightmare.net

Thank you for your perspective. I still want to watch the movie and see for myself and then do some more research on the topic. I will not believe either his or your word without sufficient information.