Given that it was in Berlin in 1895 where the world powers of the time descended with their rulers to carve up Africa, thus laying the foundations for the continent’s bloody modern history, it seems apt that the German capital has played host to two of the most captivating and eye-opening documentaries that detail this colonial rule’s horrific consequences.
In 2012 it was Sons of the Clouds, Álvaro Longoria and Javier Bardem’s film that delved into the largely unknown plight of the Sahwaris in western Sahara, who were under Moroccan occupation or in refugee camps. This year, the Oscar-nominated Austrian director Hubert Sauper turns the attention to the world’s youngest country, South Sudan, in We Come As Friends.
Six years in the making, this chronicle of one of the most troubled parts of Africa offers a rude awakening to the reality of what had been promised as solution. Sauper was in Sudan when the south gained independence and was formed in 2011, following a referendum in which 98.83 per cent voted in favour of the split. But what followed is what the director describes as “one big land grab” by world powers.
In a strange, miniature, two-seater plane he designed himself, Sauper drops in on Chinese oilfields in the north, which suck up 300,000 barrels of oil per day and are mostly staffed by Chinese who have little knowledge or appreciation of the land around them. Nearby, local villages warn that due to such practices, their water supplies have been poisoned. In the south, he speaks to American missionaries handing out solar-powered Bible readers.
“The interesting part is how we come up with a narrative that makes us – over centuries – justify our actions and whitewash our actions. It’s fascinating, yet terrifying and sad,” says Sauper.
While the Berlin Conference may have created the initial colonial boundaries back in 1895, Sauper says the recent creation of South Sudan was actually forged in Texas by the Bush family. The film shows a contract worth just US$25,000 (Dh92,000) for 600,000 hectares of land, with full exploitation rights, made out to Howard Douglas, a former United States ambassador and coordinator for refugee affairs.
“In this capacity, he went to South Sudan to care for refugees. And a couple of years later, coincidentally, he got this contract,” says Sauper, adding that even seemingly charitable US investment in the country comes with a firm eye on its spoils.
“The US government has insisted that they will give $2 billion dollars to South Sudan for development. Only, there is the little fact that in the ground there is $600bn in oil. So, with $2bn you get access to $600bn. It’s a little investment for a jackpot. Those proportions are mind-boggling.”
South Sudan is back in the news, with renewed violence between government forces and rebels supported by the north and reports of massacres involving thousands of civilians as the country descends towards civil war. Much of the fighting, says Sauper, is over the lucrative oilfields, many of which straddle the new border. We Come As Friends closes with grim cameraphone-shot footage by a soldier in one of the action spots, interspersed with clips of foreign expats lounging in a new spa built for overseas workers.
Having explored the disastrous effects of globalisation on Tanzania in his Academy Award-winning 2004 documentary Darwin’s Nightmare, Sauper says he plans to conclude his trilogy on Africa by looking at modern-day slavery.
“Africa was exposed to three waves of humiliations – slavery, colonisation and globalisation. These three sections of history are very similar. I think this third leg, slavery, is going to be the most complicated one for me to describe.”
artslife@thenational.ae
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELong-range%20dual%20motor%20with%20400V%20battery%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E360kW%20%2F%20483bhp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E840Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20touring%20range%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20628km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.7sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20210kph%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh360%2C000%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
