Grade Level: SrH-Adult
Producer: BBC
Closed Captioned: No |
Running Time: 50 mins
Country of Origin: Great Britain
Study Guide: No |
Copyright Date: 2005
Available in French: No
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Bruce Parry goes to live with the Suri tribe of Ethiopia and to take part in the fierce stick fights that are at the heart of Suri culture. These fights, called donga, have traditionally been used to settle scores between villages, and to keep order. But the system is increasingly threatened by the invasion of guns. No longer are the elders looked to to grant permission for a donga to take place - with a bullet, retribution can be swift, and fatal. But first Bruce has to learn how his new world works, and he takes up residence with a family, adopting customs such as drinking the warm blood of a cow, caught in a vessel straight from it's pierced neck, and even joining the women to be decorated, as they are, with scars caused by lifting the skin with a thorn and slashing it with a razor. He also learns his donga skills, practising with the male children. For them, as they grow towards manhood, it's the chance to preen and show their strength to the womenfolk. It can also be painful and dangerous - bones have been shattered and occasionally wounds can be fatal - but the bouts help to prepare the men of the village for the violence and pain they are likely to face as they compete for scarce resources and cattle. But after all the training, will Bruce at last get the chance to fight? |
