Documentary ‘Nomads Land’ screened

Islamabad

To celebrate the ‘Fete de la Francophonie’ the ambassador of Switzerland, Marc George, in collaboration with the ambassador of Greece, Dimitrios Zoitos, hosted a screening of a documentary film titled, ‘Nomads Land’ – in the footsteps of  Nicolas Bouvier,’ at the Swiss residence.

The event was attended by some diplomats and French speaking Pakistanis. The Greek envoy was involved because the film has a section on Chitral, where the Greeks have done a lot of good work to preserve its cultural identity, which is being eroded by misguided, interfering outsiders, while the unique lifestyle of its population, the Kalasha, is diminishing rapidly due to various reasons. According to statistics only about 2500 of them are left to carry on their unwritten legacy.

After a brief reception period, the welcomed their guests, said a few words about the film and hoped they would enjoy the evening. 

The allure of this part of the world  - the ‘mysterious East’ as it is often referred to -  continues to captivate those who read or hear about it, so fifty years after Nicolas Bouvier’s journey from Geneva to Sri Lanka, film director Gaël Métroz decided to retrace the author’s footsteps, this time with a camera in hand to record his journey. Although he wanted to revive/relive Bouvier’s account, he ultimately tells his own story and it is an interesting one – you can sit through the ninety minutes length of the film and not feel bored or disinterested – and learn a lot as well!

Written and directed by Gaël Métroz himself – he travelled alone - the film takes you on a journey through Iran, Sri Lanka; India and Pakistan. He is disappointed to learn that the East is no longer like it was in Bouviers time, so he decides to go off the beaten track and joins up with the nomads who live in these countries. Their simple life style and strange but fascinating customs and traditions are more to his liking - he expresses his likes and dislikes clearly in his monologue, which was shown in English subtitles. His sojourn in Chitral comes out as his best experience in the whole journey, so much so that he wonders if he could stay on there and create a new life for himself.

At one point in his story, he reveals that he passed out because of illness and found himself in Kyrgyzstan when he awoke, after being nursed back to health by wandering nomads! Another time, after walking along with shepherds for a change of pasture, he asked a question from the leader of the Kalasha, who laughed and replied, “Are you mad? This is Afghanistan.” These incidents illustrate how porous the borders are between these areas – the free living nomads come and go as they please through the difficult terrain.

The exciting part of the evening was when the audience got to talk to the director and ask him questions via Skype. After a few routine queries and replies, he was asked, keeping the current situation in these countries in mind, whether he would take the journey again, to which he replied in the affirmative, adding that Pakistan had a special place in his heart.

Later over a dinner of Swiss and Greek specialties, guests discussed the film and the manner in which the breathtaking natural habitats had been captured, as well as how the nomadic lifestyles had been filmed – with sensitivity and appreciation of their hospitality. The documentary is available to view on YouTube so do watch it when you have the chance.