ADDICTED TO SOLITUDE
Denmark 1999 | 35 Min. | 35 mm, engl. OF
Ghini is the respected leader of the Hulis, one of the seven hundred tribes living in Papua New Guinea. He is the oldest member of the tribe and vividly remembers how the whites came down in their outlandish flying machines. A short time ago, his life and that of the tribes went through a sweeping change: in imitation of their leader, the entire tribe had themselves baptised. An important reason for this shift was the announcement by the missionaries that Jesus will return to earth in the year 2000 and that the Last Judgement will be passed. The year 2000 did not bring with it the apocalypse announced, but village life had changed. The missionaries’ presence had already considerably eroded the power of the traditional leaders, and now the latter are forced to deal with the challenge of democratic power in the guise of a locally elected woman town counsellor.