BBC’s Human Planet Series Shows Lake Antogo in Mali Emptied of Fish in Minutes in an Annual Festival

By Kristin Conard On January 26, 2011 · 7 Comments

The aim of the BBC series Human Planet is to examine “mankind’s incredible relationship with nature in the world today.”

It follows through with that aim in a recent episode “Deserts – Life in the Furnace” that featured a clip of the “…one day of the year [when] the Dogon people of Mali can fish in the sacred water of Lake Antogo. It’s every fisherman for himself as the lake is emptied in minutes.” The event is an annual festival, timed with the changing of the seasons. The clip is short, and you can get more insight on the Dogon people here or here.

Check it out below or see it here along with other clips from the series.

About The Author

Kristin Conard

Kristin Conard is an editor at Matador Nights as well as a writing instructor in California. As a child, she wanted to be a librarian, because she thought that the librarian was the one who got to write all the books in the library. Her obsession with reading and writing has continued, and when she is not grading papers and lesson planning, she is working on a collection of essays and planning her next trip.

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http://philintheblank.net Phil

I think it would be appreciated if context was provided because as a stand alone video clip it makes the Dogon look entirely savage. It’s also poor that the only dialogue the video chooses to highlight is a man saying “this is my space.” What conclusions should you draw about the Dogon with this dramatic soundtrack and narration alongside this visual?

This event is yearly, well organized and it is sustainable. These lakes are seasonal lakes, they dry up and the fish die in them regardless. Notice everyone waited patiently before entering the lake. There was no fighting despite whatever the footage implied with one snippet of dialogue captured. This video is irresponsible. Without context, it makes the Dogon look like they are consuming resources in an uncontrollable, savage manner. I have spent time in Mali and in Pays Dogon and they are one of the few large populations of people still living in relative harmony with the land.

This video was also posted, with no context, on Huffington Post, and I found a comment there that rang true:

“This festival is annual. The lake completely dries up every year, slating any fish left in it from the seasonal river flooding to a death by overheating and suffocation. This festival is actually something that allows the locals to gain more by waiting until the right time so they can harvest the most fish. Stop, wait a year, repeat.
The cycle of nature is one that we cannot be removed from. Our unique ability to dominate over nature merely means that we need to consciously and aggressively ensure the sustainability of our species by ensuring it for the rest of nature. When I see these folks harvesting these fish I do not see wanton destruction and abusive consumption as in shark finning or even the brutality of factory farming.”

These stories may generate tweets and traffic, but they are not helpful in offering an accurate portrayal of a place that is already very misunderstood.

Please consider adding some level of context to this story.

- Phil

http://kristin5683.wordpress.com/ Kristin Conard

Phil, I did not intend for the article to make anyone look “savage”. That isn’t a word that I used or would ever consider using in any context. It was meant to highlight the Human Planet series at the BBC. I have no control over the editing of the clip itself, and I saw it as an annual festival that I hadn’t seen filmed before, and I was sharing the clip. I can add that into the article, and perhaps we will be able to highlight a longer piece on this festival or those like it on another page; however, on the radar, we’re keeping things short and sweet.

http://philintheblank.net Phil

Kristin,
I understand. I know that you yourself don’t consider this savage and I know you did not use the word. My concern is the way something like this is viewed by other people when there is no context. These are the videos that people see and afterwards think “wow, so that’s what africa is like huh? crowds of half naked people fishing with their mouths!” Whether or not it’s part of the BBC is irrelevant. I know you have to keep it short, but you could add a line or two about the context. Please consider.

http://kristin5683.wordpress.com/ Kristin Conard

The article has been updated; the importance of this coming from the BBC is just the idea that the aim of their series, as noted in the article, is to look at “mankind’s incredible relationship with nature in the world today.” And I think that’s a pretty cool goal. It’s my hope, as is yours it seems, that there is no one who sees this short clip in any way representative of anything, much less an entire continent. For more on Africa, there’s always: http://matadornetwork.com/focus/africa/. Though of course, there can be no possibility of “truly capturing” a people or a place in a pat and concise way, episode series or lists of articles aside, if there is even a way to “capture” those things at all. The best we can do is to look at the world with curiosity, respect, and open eyes.

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http://philintheblank.net Phil

Kristin, Thank you for updating it and responding to my comments. I would appreciate a bit more, but I understand you have constraints because of the format.

You are right there is no possibility of accurately capturing a people with just a short clip. And I agree with you that the best we can do is to look at the world with curiosity, respect, and open eyes. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t do that. I give greater credence to the audience of matador than I do to that of HuffingtonPost, but there are people that will make snap judgments in every community. In this case, just a little bit of context makes an enormous difference to this story. That clip looks a lot different when you know the history and sustainability of the event pictured.
Ranjit

I completely agree with Phil on this. Without context alot of people can needlessly make ill-informed opinions.

BBC’s Human Planet Series Shows Lake Antogo in Mali Emptied of Fish in Minutes in an Annual Festival

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