Synopsis
Speak to Awaken Ep2. Kusunda explores what it means to lose a language and what it takes to preserve one. Narrated by two of its co-creators -- 86-year-old Kusunda shaman Lil Bahadur and his 15-year-old granddaughter Hema -- the experience contrasts two generations set apart by their lifestyles and brought together by the struggle for their indigenous identity.
Lil Bahadur paints a glimpse into the past with anecdotes of his life in the jungle. “I went to fish by the river and guess what, I saw a bear looking at me. Scared, I took out my bow, aimed an arrow and tried to shoot. But the bow was broken… I was lucky to survive that day.”
Hema, a bright teenager detached from her grandfather’s hunter-gatherer identity, represents a modern Kusunda identity. “I haven’t lived in the forests and I don’t want to! I’m studying hard to become a teacher. But I am proud of my heritage and culture. I’ll do whatever I can to preserve it and I’m confident of being successful.”
Director
Credits
•
In collaboration with Gyani Maiya Kusunda, Heme Kusunda, Lil Bahadur Kusunda
•
Executive Producer: Rene PINNEL
•
Co-producers(INVR): Sonke KIRCHHOF, Philipp WENNING
•
Co-producers(FASAD): Emma CREED, Aliki TSAKOUMI
•
Co-producers(Poke Poke): LAI Kuan-yuan
