| Transcript |
| 0:47 | · | Today, Somewhere On Earth invites you to discover the Bijagos Islands. An isolated territory of Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. |
| 0:56 | · | These sacred lands resemble a vast river delta. |
| 1:02 | · | Marcelino is an elder, an Omi Grande, the highest position in the social hierarchy. |
| 1:09 | · | The forest, which he knows so well, is where he finds the plants for his ancestral remedies. |
| 1:14 | · | Marcelino is a traditional doctor on the island of Carache in the northern Bijagos. |
| 1:21 | · | The island of Orango in the far south is a world biosphere reserve and the country's first national park. |
| 1:28 | · | This is where Pedro lives. He's the reporter for Okinka Pampa, Orango's small radio station, |
| 1:34 | · | so he's always on the lookout for stories. |
| 1:40 | · | On the island of Caravela, Quintino is about to undergo the most important phase of his life. |
| 1:46 | · | The Fanado, the highest initiation rite, which will open a mysterious secret world to him. |
| 1:54 | · | Over the centuries, the Bijagos have forged a very close relationship with nature. |
| 2:02 | · | I don't know what's going to happen to me if I'll be equal to the challenge and able to do what they want me to. |
| 2:09 | · | That's why I'm anxious. |
| 2:25 | · | The Bijagos Islands are off in a backwater of time, isolated from the rest of the world. |
| 2:32 | · | Just a few miles from the mainland, they form a labyrinth of sandbanks and mangrove swamps, they have the strongest tides in Africa. |
| 2:43 | · | These islands are inhabited by spirits. They form a mythical boundary between the land of Africa, |
| 2:49 | · | the ocean, and the endless sky. |
| 3:18 | · | Islands tossed into the sea and forgotten in the vast Atlantic Ocean. |
| 3:24 | · | There are 88 of them spread out over roughly 100 kilometers, north to south. |
| 3:29 | · | It is the only archipelago in Africa born from a river delta formed thousands of years ago following a rise in the level of the seas. |
| 3:41 | · | The early Portuguese navigators brought back tales of wild islands inhabited by indomitable warriors. |
| 3:49 | · | The Bijagos people never submitted to the colonial authority. |
| 3:54 | · | The villages are all inland, away from the sea, as if the inhabitants needed to protect themselves |
| 4:00 | · | from unknown outside forces. For centuries, this isolation has allowed these islands to remain unspoiled. |
| 4:11 | · | Hello there. How's the family? |
| 4:18 | · | How are you? Marcelino is a traditional healer in Empicha, |
| 4:24 | · | a village on the island of Carache. |
| 4:32 | · | He learned the traditional medicine from his father and began to treat people in the northern islands with him. |
| 4:46 | · | A few years ago, Marcelino received training in the fundamentals of modern Western medicine from foreign doctors. |
| 4:54 | · | How's the baby? [Bijago spoken audio] |
| 5:12 | · | Thanks to the children, I became a healer. I've liked children ever since I was young. |
| 5:18 | · | It's still the case. What I do, I do for them. I instruct the mothers how to take care of their little ones. |
| 5:27 | · | I teach them about the most frequent wounds. The moms trust me, whether it's traditional or modern medicine. |
| 5:34 | · | Wherever I go, I look after the children and my greatest joy is curing them because I see the results of my work. |
| 5:44 | · | [Bijago spoken audio] |
| 6:16 | · | Does he suckle well? Yes, he does. |
| 6:22 | · | He has a fever? Yes, at night. |
| 6:33 | · | [Bijago spoken audio] |
| 6:39 | · | We're doing our best for the children to get a decent upbringing so that they'll have a good head on their shoulders. |
| 6:46 | · | This is what we're teaching them. When they're seven, they start to go out into the bush |
| 6:52 | · | to say hello to people, to know their manners. The children here learn by example. |
| 6:59 | · | You learn by watching grown-ups. If I ever see children doing something wrong, I stop and scold them. |
| 7:05 | · | I'll give them some guidance and they listen to me because they know that I'll be telling their parents about it. |
| 7:12 | · | A child is not just his parent's child. He's also the child of the entire community. |
| 7:17 | · | That's why we treat them all the same. We take care of all the children. |
| 7:28 | · | When I see a newborn baby, it just feels my heart with joy. |
| 7:39 | · | Marcelino, who's close to 60 years old, is an elder of his village, an Omi Grande. |
| 7:46 | · | The younger generations have to submit to the decisions and demands of their elders. This is the principle of payment to the elders, |
| 7:54 | · | who are the ones who guide the children's upbringing. [Bijago spoken audio] |
| 8:09 | · | There are not many schools here and very few clinics. More often than not, |
| 8:14 | · | Marcelino has to turn to Mother Nature to treat his patients, to save lives. |
| 8:26 | · | The Bijago elders are all the living memory and guardians of the community's secrets. |
| 8:32 | · | In order to keep the traditions alive, Marcelino passes on his knowledge to the younger generation. |
| 9:09 | · | [Bijago spoken audio]. |
| 9:15 | · | The palm tree plays an important role here in the Bijagos. |
| 9:21 | · | We use the trunk to build our houses. We make palm wine with the sap. |
| 9:28 | · | When the nuts ripen, we can make oil. We use the fronds to make string. |
| 9:36 | · | These are the palm fronds that we use to make brooms and the ropes we use to climb the palm trees. |
| 9:43 | · | We also make soap from the blossom. Every part of the tree is good. |
| 9:49 | · | We can use everything in the palm tree. |
| 10:10 | · | Plant lore and traditional medicine are great secrets. |
| 10:17 | · | The forest is like a pharmaceutical factory. If you're not a doctor, you're not allowed to learn the secret formulas. |
| 10:28 | · | We don't transmit the mysteries of the plants to outsiders. If you don't live here on this land, we'll never show you anything. |
| 10:47 | · | Before cutting a root, I ask the tree's forgiveness. I ask it to help me cure the sick person. |
| 10:54 | · | You can't just come into the forest, take what you need, then turn around and leave. |
| 11:06 | · | [Bijago spoken audio]. |
| 11:43 | · | Marcelino has to take care of a child on a nearby island. |
| 11:53 | · | Before undertaking a voyage, he has to invoke the spirit, so that he'll ensure a smooth journey |
| 12:00 | · | and watch over his family during his absence. |
| 13:38 | · | [Bijago spoken audio]. |
| 13:53 | · | He got hurt while playing. They brought him to me four days ago. |
| 13:59 | · | I took care of him and now I'm seeing him again. He tells me he's feeling better. |
| 14:07 | · | This is what I use to treat him. It looks like he's doing better. |
| 14:19 | · | I treat stomach aches, indigestion, cuts, |
| 14:24 | · | bruises, headaches, and snakebites. |
| 14:32 | · | I take care of all of that. Yes, even snakebites. |
| 14:41 | · | Nature jealously guards her secrets. |
| 14:52 | · | There are a number of sacred sites on the islands. They are the realm of Iran, the spirit of the islands. |
| 15:01 | · | Tradition is the bond that ensures the social cohesion of the Bijagos people, and only they hold the key to it. |
| 15:54 | · | This land beneath its vast sky is a sanctuary of unspoiled nature. |
| 16:00 | · | Marcelino is wise in his people's law. The Bijago draw their force and energy from the natural elements all around them. |
| 16:26 | · | The first thing my father taught me was how to observe the fish, how to study the water. |
| 16:33 | · | If it's windy, the sea gets stirred up and you can't see anything. |
| 16:38 | · | However, if the water is clear, you can see the fish a few meters in front of you. |
| 16:43 | · | If you can't reach the fish with your net, you have to approach like this. |
| 16:48 | · | You stalk them. It's a very long apprenticeship. |
| 17:19 | · | We, here in the Bijagos, remain pure and independent all our lives. |
| 17:24 | · | We are poor, but our land is generous. It is our riches. |
| 17:31 | · | Bijagos are very remote. We're a free people. Not many people can say that, and it's a privilege to live here. |
| 17:41 | · | We have enough to eat here. We are as pure as the clear seawater. |
| 17:49 | · | That's the Bijagos. That's our riches. |
| 18:20 | · | This is an old tree, and me, I am an old man. The tree and I are two wise old men. |
| 18:29 | · | It's the biggest tree in the Bijagos and I'm one of the oldest men around here. Yes, that's how it is. |
| 19:29 | · | Orango, the largest island of the Bijagos, is a land of savannas and forest bordered by mangrove swamps. |
| 19:38 | · | There are very few villages, and the island is a national park. |
| 19:51 | · | Everyone on Orango knows Pedro, a generous man, always ready to help out the community with his two-wheeled tractor. |
| 20:11 | · | Pedro's life changed 20 years ago, the day he received his tractor broken down into its parts. |
| 20:18 | · | His brother, who had emigrated to Portugal, managed to dig up this great bargain for him. |
| 20:40 | · | I transport all sorts of things. Soil and bunches of palm fruit too. However, not only that, I also carry coconuts, peanuts, wood, |
| 20:51 | · | anything that's heavy. I do it to help the community. |
| 20:56 | · | Anything people need, I'll carry it. I even transport people. |
| 21:08 | · | It's really kind of a museum piece. I have to start it with a rope. |
| 21:38 | · | The villagers on Bubaque and Uno, the neighboring islands, also want me to come and help. |
| 21:44 | · | However, I don't want to take my tractor to other islands. I'm here to help the community of Orango |
| 21:49 | · | because there's no other means of transportation here. |
| 22:08 | · | I like helping people because I think you should help your neighbor. As I have the means, I do it. |
| 22:15 | · | It's good to help people in need because you have to think ahead. Someday, I could be the one who needs help. |
| 22:39 | · | A few months ago, an incredible project saw the light of day on Orango, a community radio station. |
| 22:46 | · | Pedro is one of the volunteer reporters of Radio Okinka Pampa. |
| 22:56 | · | That wraps up the news. Good night to all. We hope you join us when we come back on the air at 10:00 tomorrow. |
| 23:13 | · | The radio station creates a bond between all Orangos inhabitants. |
| 23:19 | · | The single daily program deals mainly with questions about public health and the environment. |
| 23:25 | · | In just a few months, Pedro has become a story collector, and thanks to his work as a radio reporter, |
| 23:31 | · | he has been discovering new facets of his country every day. |
| 24:11 | · | Orango is a labyrinth of mangrove swamps and bolongs, vast sea inlets where salt and fresh water mix. |
| 24:31 | · | This morning, Pedro is off on an assignment with João, a ranger of the Orango National Park. |
| 24:38 | · | They're headed for the southern tip of the island to a marshy zone, very difficult to reach. |
| 24:43 | · | There, they hope to find the emblematic animal. Thanks to which the Bijagos was declared a World Biosphere Reserve. |
| 25:06 | · | We have a large biodiversity here. There are a lot of animals. Most of them are very dangerous. |
| 25:12 | · | There are horn vipers, mambas, scorpions, poisonous stingrays. |
| 25:19 | · | Walking around here can be fatal as you could be bitten by a horned viper, a mamba, or stung by a scorpion. |
| 25:26 | · | It's really dangerous. In short, there's biodiversity. |
| 25:31 | · | I love animals. Then again, I don't have a choice. I have to deal with them. |
| 25:37 | · | Nature is dangerous, but I protect it. |
| 26:42 | · | This park is home to the very rare saltwater hippopotamus. |
| 26:54 | · | Over thousands of years, the River Delta has become an archipelago, and these hippopotamus have gradually adapted |
| 27:01 | · | and become acclimated to seawater, where they take refuge when the freshwater lagoons dry up. |
| 27:11 | · | Do you know how many hippos there are in the National park? |
| 27:16 | · | It's hard to say exactly. Some are still in the mangrove swamps. Others head for the rivers of Orangozinho. |
| 27:25 | · | However, in the lagoon here, there's probably around 40 at most. |
| 27:33 | · | Tell me, João, how can you tell the difference between the male and the female? |
| 27:39 | · | It's easy to tell. The male is always bigger. |
| 27:45 | · | His head is bigger, and his maw is longer and he has a hump on his back. |
| 27:52 | · | The female has a flat back. |
| 28:02 | · | Hippos have a lovely place in our lore. It's a sacred animal, highly respected in our culture. |
| 28:08 | · | Here they say that a brave person is as strong as a hippopotamus. If they say a person is like a hippopotamus, |
| 28:14 | · | that means he's a great person, someone strong. When he dies, we hold a traditional ceremony. |
| 28:22 | · | The Bijago people have always held the hippopotamus in great esteem, even before they founded this National Park. |
| 29:16 | · | This morning, the little port of Orango is bustling with activity. Once a week a pirogue comes in from the mainland. |
| 29:25 | · | Pedro carries on with his reporting for the radio and is off to Poilão, the southernmost island. |
| 29:34 | · | It's a very isolated island. There's no drinking water and there's nothing to eat. |
| 29:39 | · | All the products come from here, from Bissau or from Bubaque, the main island. |
| 29:45 | · | We mustn't forget about the people living out there. [Bijago spoken audio] |
| 30:39 | · | Poilão is a sacred island. The Bijago people discovered it a long time ago. |
| 30:46 | · | It's quite sacred for all of us. It's a magnificent island and we protect it. |
| 30:59 | · | This is the first time Pedro has set foot on Poilão. Santino is one of the guardians. |
| 31:07 | · | What's that tower? That tower dates back to the time of the Portuguese. |
| 31:18 | · | On the tip of the island, there are a few rusty remains from the time when Poilão was an important sea mark for navigators. |
| 31:27 | · | For a long time, Poilão marked the sea route of the Portuguese colonial forces. It is the furthest point South of the archipelago. |
| 31:36 | · | Lapped by the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, it is the last land before Brazil. |
| 32:04 | · | The island is home to one of the largest colonies of green turtles in the Atlantic Ocean. |
| 32:10 | · | Fore months of the year, the females of these creatures straight out of another age, climb up onto the beach, |
| 32:16 | · | where they were born, to lay their eggs. |
| 32:22 | · | Is it easy to live on such an isolated island? What does it feel like when you're out here? |
| 32:31 | · | Well, it's like that here. You can't get away whenever you want to. |
| 32:36 | · | You're stuck. I'm not here by chance and I'm not here on vacation. |
| 32:43 | · | When I'm in Poilão, it's to work. My job is to protect our riches, the nature all around. |
| 32:56 | · | The rangers on Poilão do good work. Not only for Guinea-Bissau, it's useful for the entire world. |
| 33:04 | · | I know there are endangered species, and it's important that Guinea-Bissau begins to think about protecting its resources and wild animals. |
| 34:36 | · | I feel good here. I would like to be able to help this turtle. |
| 34:42 | · | When I see the effort she has to put out to get back to the sea, it's incredible. |
| 34:49 | · | It's tiring for her. If I could, I would carry her right to the water. It's so hard for her to get back to the sea. |
| 35:07 | · | It's a beautiful animal, gentle and it really moves me. |
| 35:14 | · | Turtles are not aggressive. They don't attack. They don't bother anyone and that's why we have to make an effort to protect them. |
| 35:23 | · | It's really a lovely animal. |
| 35:44 | · | The deserted beach still bears the mysterious tracks of the fascinating life cycle of sea turtles. |
| 35:52 | · | At dawn, Pedro is witness to the fragile equilibrium of this wild land imbued with the spirit of the Bijagos. |
| 36:30 | · | In the north, the island of Caravela is the gateway to a mysterious realm. |
| 36:43 | · | Quintino is a kabado. In traditional society, it's the free and carefree age. |
| 37:05 | · | Soon, he'll undergo the most important passage in the social hierarchy. |
| 37:19 | · | Quintino, 30 years old now, has reached the age of maturity. He's preparing for the final initiation ceremony, the Fanado. |
| 37:29 | · | This ritual takes place in the forest, based on suffering, endurance, and deprivation. |
| 37:36 | · | This much-feared ordeal lasts several months. |
| 37:43 | · | Once he has passed the Fanado, Quintino will be a Kamabi, a respected man, capable of helping the community |
| 37:51 | · | and protecting his family. |
| 37:57 | · | Quintino has four children. Soon, he'll have to leave them for several months of exile |
| 38:02 | · | in the sacred forest. The Fanado is a long voyage on the path blazed by the spirits. |
| 38:15 | · | A woman is very important in the life of a man, because if you have no wife, you could turn bad. |
| 38:22 | · | However, if you have a wife, you have to work for her. |
| 38:31 | · | This is my wife, Saffie. We've been married for a long time. I love her very much. |
| 38:37 | · | I work for her. I go fishing, I go into the forest, I work in the fields. |
| 38:43 | · | Sometimes I go off for longer periods in order to feed my children and I bring home what we need. |
| 38:50 | · | We both love each other very much. We get along well and when I go off for two or three weeks, |
| 38:57 | · | I miss her and she misses me. We're sad and that's why we enjoy spending time together like today. |
| 39:11 | · | The Fanado is approaching, but before that, Quintino has to take care of the coming harvest. |
| 39:17 | · | The Bijago have always led a nearly self-sufficient existence. Very few products come over from the mainland. |
| 39:25 | · | Each family has its own rice field, and there's only one rice harvest per year after the rainy season. |
| 39:38 | · | In a few days, the rice will be ripe. |
| 39:47 | · | It's a very tricky moment for Quintino. He could lose his whole crop if he doesn't keep a close watch over his field. |
| 39:54 | · | For the palm trees are full of weaver birds just waiting to swoop down for a feast. |
| 40:12 | · | Right from the age of seven, the children learn how to protect the rice fields. It's the staple food of the Bijago. |
| 40:23 | · | We come out every day. We get up at 6:00 in the morning before the birds get here, |
| 40:30 | · | and the next day we do it again. That's how it goes every day until the rice is ripe, |
| 40:36 | · | like this rice right here. |
| 41:07 | · | The Bijago people are not seafarers, but this has not always been the case. |
| 41:12 | · | There's a legend that once in the northern islands, the men would rig out large pirogues and attack foreign ships. |
| 41:20 | · | One day the Europeans in reprisal, pillaged the land, and the Bijago people saw that as the spirits of the sea |
| 41:27 | · | who had come to seek revenge. Now, the only arms made here are the Kanyagos. |
| 41:42 | · | We make the Kanyago with materials we find out in nature. It's the traditional tool of all the Bijagos. |
| 41:51 | · | We make it with what we get from the forest, like this rope. |
| 41:58 | · | The elders show us how to make a Kanyago. It's the first thing they teach you when you're little. |
| 42:05 | · | It's indispensable for catching fish for food. When you know how to use the Kanyago, you become an independent person. |
| 42:13 | · | You have what you need to work. You can have your own house and all that. |
| 42:19 | · | It's a gift of nature. |
| 42:35 | · | The waters are full of fish here. All sorts of fish. Nature is generous. |
| 42:42 | · | There are sharks, stingrays, and they're very poisonous. Sea bream, barracuda. |
| 42:48 | · | However, the fish we're the most afraid of are the rays. If you get stung, it's very painful and you suffer for weeks. |
| 43:03 | · | Enormous clouds drift over the Atlantic. They come from a spot much feared by seafarers, |
| 43:10 | · | the horse latitudes where storms and hurricanes are born. |
| 43:15 | · | It's still the rainy season, the time of silvery seas and leaden skies. |
| 43:21 | · | A tornado can arise in just a few seconds. |
| 43:42 | · | I don't like thunder and storms, but I don't have any choice. We have to live with nature. |
| 43:49 | · | I would rather go home, but if I go home, we won't have anything to eat. |
| 43:55 | · | I don't have a choice. |
| 44:10 | · | In this part of the world, the heat rises up out of the earth like an invisible wave. |
| 44:15 | · | A storm always brings a bit of coolness. It's a good time to head for the beach. |
| 44:52 | · | Quintino's wife Saffie has come to gather what has been exposed by low tide. |
| 44:57 | · | The women are just as active in the quest for food as the men. |
| 45:03 | · | I grew up observing my elders. Now with Quintino, we have our own children |
| 45:10 | · | and I can't let them go hungry and cry. We grow rice and when there's not enough, I go fishing. |
| 45:17 | · | I know that in other parts of the world, people have an easier life. |
| 45:23 | · | However, I'm happy with the life I lead. It allows me to take care of my children and bring them up to adulthood. |
| 45:31 | · | [Bijago spoken audio] |
| 46:56 | · | Preparations are underway for the first initiation ceremony. The village elders have chosen the date and duration of Kintinos Fanado. |
| 47:05 | · | It will last three months. |
| 47:16 | · | I'm afraid because I don't know if I'll be able to do what they want me to do, that's why I'm anxious. |
| 47:36 | · | Today, Quintino is wearing the fetishes of his father, Francisco. Chief of the village of Anipoc. |
| 47:43 | · | These sacred objects have been handed down from one generation to the next. |
| 47:53 | · | His time has come. Right from his early childhood, he has been passing the different stages of initiation. |
| 48:00 | · | This is the last rite of passage. That's why I gave him this costume. He's on the path of the Fanado. |
| 48:07 | · | It's a natural event that all our ancestors have been through. We've all been through it. |
| 48:25 | · | This costume symbolizes the force of nature. When you put it on, it gives you strength and courage. |
| 48:36 | · | It's like these horns I'm wearing for the ceremony. When you're wearing them, you're a different person. |
| 48:44 | · | It's as if some force enters you. You become strong and wild, something like a bull. |
| 48:59 | · | Now I'm ready. I'll be going into the Fanado House. It's forbidden to talk about what goes on inside. |
| 49:07 | · | It's really secret. Only the initiates know what takes place there. |
| 49:13 | · | Even I don't know yet. |
| 49:45 | · | This is a great day. I'm fulfilling our tradition, and on account of that, I'm respected. The elders, the women, everyone respects us |
| 49:52 | · | when we were wearing the costume, it's sacred. |
| 50:49 | · | Quintino will come out of his initiation ordeal a different man. |
| 50:54 | · | He will soon pass a major turning point in the life of each of the Bijago. These people living on the fringes of the world, somewhere in Western Africa. |
