A last Glimpse (4 prototype episodes)

Subject: A series that portrays the strong link between humans and their environment along the African coast.
Date: 2003.
Broadcaster/ commissioned:
Broadcast on SABC 3, prime time during the WSSD (World Summit for Sustainable Development) South Africa. Episode 2 sold to ZDF in Germany.
Length: 4x54 minutes.

Episodes:

1. Desert Coast.
   The desert coast portrays the fragile and diverse arid lands that extend from the Orange River to the Namib Desert. This arid land contrast dramatically with the exuberant Benguela that extends it influence at least 80km into the desert. The fog provides relief to the thirsty land and gives life to the dune fields. Here, the life of the Topnaar people is closely associated with the Nara plant. Further south the Orange River brought diamonds to this region over the millenniums. Once these riches were discovered by Europeans the Richtersveld Namas were dispossessed and marginalized of their land. The film also touches on Transfrontier Conservation Areas and Transfrontier Parks and how they can help to reconstruct the region.
   Producer: Francois Odendaal.
   Directors: Claudio Velásquez Rojas and Francois Odendaal.
   Cameras: Riaan Laubscher, Claudio Velásquez Rojas and Peet Joubert.
   
   
2. Cape of Storms.
   Here the two oceans meet in a land ruled by fire and wind. The Cape is surrounded by some of the most unpredictable and stormy seas but also is home to one of the richest floral kingdom in the world, world, known as the fynbos. At the tip of the African continent baboons roam in the fynbos and along the rocky shores, but they have also learnt to exploit the benefits of urban life. Nearby islands hold the largest Cape Gannet colony in the world and the ban of the whale hunting has seen one of the most dramatic recoveries of the Southern Right Whales. The Cape of Storms is a fragile place and could be destroyed by its own beauty. Fast development including tourism put all its unique biodiversity at risk. However, there is hope, and some rural communities are using the fynbos in a sustainable manner following a long tradition in the art of cutting flowers.
   Producers: Francois Odendaal and Claudio Velásquez Rojas.
   Director and camera: Claudio Velásquez Rojas.
   
   
3. Riddle in Paradise.
   This episode portrays the fragility of the tropical habitat of the Western Indian Ocean. It focuses mainly on the pristine area of the San Sebastian Peninsula, Mozambique that is rapidly being destroyed by over fishing and bad agricultural practices such as bush fires. A novel idea to rescue the area involves turning it into a reserve aimed at high-end exclusive tourism. Large game will be reintroduced. However, for the idea to be put into practise the local community of San Sebastian has to be relocated in order to avoid potential conflicts with game such as elephants. In this documentary we follow several local families of fishers while they fish, talk to their ancestors, and prepare for the relocation process. Everything seems to be going smoothly, including the first few relocations but the question of how much benefit the locals will see in the long run for their sacrifice, remains unanswered.
   Producers: Francois Odendaal.
   Directors: Francois Odendaal and Claudio Velásquez Rojas.
   Cameras: Claudio Velásquez Rojas, Riaan Laubscher and Peet Joubert.
   
   
4. Following my Moon.
   This documentary follows the life of the Tembe-Thonga people in Kosi Bay on the border between South Africa and Mozambique. These people have a strong connection with the sea and the moon that rules the cycle of the tides. Woman harvest shellfish during spring low tides, while a very intricate and ingenious set of tidal traps in the nearby estuary provides a stable source of protein for the families. The traditional fishing methods have little impact on the fish stock since it is highly selective and the traps are designed to allow the smaller fish to escape from the traps and only sizable fish are captured. The ownership of such traps is passed from one generation to the next. However, the past long war in Mozambique and the modern life style have brought new challenges to the Tembe-Thonga. Some of them are re-encountering their relatives across the border and looking for new opportunities in ecotourism. The moon is an intrinsic part of the Tonga traditions and every new born baby will be presented to the moon and the sea on a starry, quiet African night. What does the future hold for them?
   Producer: Francois Odendaal.
   Director: Andrew Newby.
   Camera: Andrew Newby and Thomas Peschak.
   
   

A Last Glimpse (for Public Broadcasting Systems (PBS) affiliate WLIW, New York)

Note: the proto-type films attracted the attention of PBS who commissioned three further episodes in an ongoing series - this time with Prof. Francois Odendaal as presenter. The prototype Episode 1 above, Desert Coast, was redone with the presenter leading the viewer through the desert lands of Namibia and northwest South Africa.

1. Zanzibar.
   This film explores the spice islands of Zanzibar. The story follows Francois Odendaal in his endeavors to create a new marine and coastal protected area on the remote island of Pemba. Not only does this new protected area includes some of the most spectacular underwater phenomena and biodiversity in the Western Indian Ocean, it is also the locality of many cultural and historical mysteries which includes ancient mosques and a city that has sunk under water after a massive earthquake struck the area a thousand years ago. The last part of the film depicts an epic journey in a wooden dhow from the northern tip of the island to the southern extreme during which Francois and his team experience all sorts of adventures and acquire new insight into life on the mysterious island. Here they also find hope when a local community takes its destiny into their own hands by replanting mangroves to stop their island from being devoured by the rising sea level and fierce storms.
   
   
2. Madagascar.
   This film takes the viewer to some of the most remote and least known parts of Madagascar. The team explores the deep limestone caves of the Ankarana massif where the graves of ancestors and legends tell the story of the Antakarana people. Francois and his team revisit a rainforest and coral reef paradise where fifteen years earlier he had established the first three marine and coastal national parks in Madagascar, a country that has thousands of species of plants and animals found nowhere in the world. Its deserts and rainforests are truly unique. It is also well known that Madagascar is subject to unprecedented environmental destruction by illegal logging companies and the extremely poor rural population that depends on 'slash and burn' agriculture for their very survival. Yet Francois find that his earlier efforts had paid off - the people of the Masoala Peninsula respect the coastal and marine reserves and a little school established many years ago is a point of light that contributes to the education of the local people and teaches them the benefits of conserving the environment.