The following is a film called “Bataille sur le Grand Fleuve” (Battle on the Great River). It follows a hunting party of Sorko/Songhai hippopotamus hunters on the Niger River. The main conflict in the film is the quest to bring down a great bull hippo, known as the old bearded one. The hunters use a large boat (a pirogue) when they set out after the hippo. When they encounter the animal, the hunters throw harpoons in the animal, which are connected to ropes. The harpoons themselves have floating shafts, which wear the animal down as it tries to submerge itself. The technique is very similar to the one that Captain Quint tried to use against the giant white shark in Jaws.
Here is part one:
Again, this film is not for Vegans to watch.
And you can see a contradiction in the film. The hunters have no trouble killing the adult hippos, but they are gentle with the orphaned calf, even kissing the little animal as it snuggles up. It’s a good example of our contradictory nature. We can be hunters for food and for sport, yet we can be so gentle with the animals we consider to be our pets.
This film was made in 1950 in the French colony in Niger and parts of Mali. The filmmaker’s name is Jean Rouch, a white French citizen. Some African scholars have criticized his films for being a bit distorted. He looks at them through a French perspective, and European lenses can distort how we view other cultures.
However, despite that criticism, this film is far better than Africa Addio!
ya the contradiction point you made was interesting, exactly the same thing i was thinking when i watched the video. they stabbed the brutally harpooned hippo about a thousand times (in the video they said the battle raged for hours), showing no mercy or basic regard. tortured this poor hippo, which in this case, its immense size was its pitfall, yet kissed and snuggled ANOTHER baby hippo. I eat meat, not trying to be a hypocrite, but even in the fifties rifles existed, and i know this tribe may be a poor one, but if they have the means to forge steal, they sure as hell have the means to purchase a single, used (or cheap ex-military) rifle.