Omo Child: The River and the BushJohn Rowe

In the heart of Ethiopia children are killed because they are cursed, according to local beliefs. One man does everything he can to stop this tradition. Do not miss this epic story about how the courage and passion of just one person can change the world.

Lale Labuko was born and raised in the Omo Valley where the Kara People live. When he is fifteen, he  witnesses the murder of a child. The elders have decided that the child carries the mingi-curse. Labuko is shaken, even more so when he finds out two of his older sisters have already undergone the same fate. Mingi children are considered a major threat to the tribe, because they bring disease, drought and famine. Traditional beliefs state that these children have different defining characteristics. When a baby’s upper teeth emerge first, before any lower teeth have appeared, for example, that is considered a clear signal.

Labuko is the very first of his tribe to head to the city, where he goes to school. Years later he returns to the valley to stop this gruesome tradition. But the elders are not easily convinced. The survival of the tribe is their responsibility and they can not risk that the Mingi curse should bring death and destruction.

During a five year period, the film follows Labuko's quest as he passionately tries to bring an end to this ancient belief, risking his own life. Do not miss this epic story - set in stunning Ethiopian landscapes - about the clash between the moral conviction of one man and a tradition of fear. Or how the courage and passion of just one person can change the world.



Africa

Vertoond op editie(s) 2016
Screened at edition(s) 2016

Info

Directed by John Rowe
Ethiopia, US
89 min.
English
No subtitles

Programme

ConScience

credits
Director

John Rowe

Producer

Tyler Rowe

Cinematography

Tyler Rowe

Editing

Matt Skow

Music

Eric Poline

Contact info
Bekijk Contact info
(en screener)
(beschikbaar vanaf 20.03)