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The Age of Stupid Virginie Mamadouh Afdeling Geografi e, Planologie en Internationale Ontwikkelingsstudies, Universiteit van Amsterdam geografi e & fi lm The Age of Stupid is een indrukwekkend docudrama dat afgelopen jaar veelvuldig werd ingezet in het debat over klimaatverandering om mensen te doordringen van de noodzaak nu maatregelen te nemen. Maar de fi lm gaat in de eerste plaats over de verspilling van aardolie in ons dwaze tijdperk. The Age of Stupid De dwaze geografi e van aardolieverspilling e vorm die de makers kozen is Zeven verhalen De personages zijn allemaal boeiend en heel krachtig en effectief. Een serie docu- Zeven verhaallijnen lopen door elkaar, waar- verschillend in geslacht, leeftijd, ras en Dmentaires verpakt in een fi ctief ver- van twee direct verbonden zijn. Maar allemaal rijkdom. haal trekt meer aandacht dan een serie losse zijn ze indirect gelinkt via het belang van aard- Neem Jeh Wadia, een jonge rijke en onder- reportages. Pete Postlethwaite, een bekend olie in het leven van de betrokkenen. De loca- nemende Indiër die een luchtvaartmaat- Britse fi lm- en theateracteur, vertolkt het enige ties liggen verspreid over vier continenten: schappij opzet om goedkoop binnenlandse fi ctieve personage in de fi lm. Hij speelt de rol Europa, Azië, Amerika en Afrika. Het gaat om vluchten te verzorgen. Hij is een telg van een van een archivaris die in 2055 waakt over een Chamonix in de Franse Alpen, Zuid-Engeland van de rijkste handelsfamilies in India. Hij klimaatbestendig wereldarchief van de mense- (Cornwall en Bedfordshire), Mumbai in India, is trouwens ook de achterkleinzoon van lijke cultuur waarin alle boeken en fi lms en Amman in Jordanië, New Orleans in de Muhammad Ali Jinnah, de leider van de Isla- een verzameling van twee exemplaren van Verenigde Staten en de Nigerdelta in Nigeria. mitische Liga in Brits Indië, de bedenker van elke uitgestorven diersoort op sterk water bij- eengebracht zijn, op een kunstmatig eiland bij de Noordpool. Aan de hand van fi lmbeel- den en animaties uit het beeldarchief in de grote computer mijmert hij over de onder- gang van de menselijke beschaving door de klimaatverandering en probeert te doorgron- den waarom men niet heeft ingegrepen toen het nog kon, dat wil zeggen vóór 2015. De archivaris kijkt door zijn computer- scherm naar het publiek – of wij naar hem. Op het scherm opent hij tal van vensters met fi lmpjes, clips van actualiteitenrubrieken (BBC, CNN) en animaties. Hij functioneert als een dj die het ene naar het andere verhaal over de mensheid afspeelt en selecteert voor een denkbeeldig pakket dat aan het einde van de fi lm de ruimte ingestraald wordt. FOTO: SPANNER FILMS Jeh Wadia wil armoede en ongelijkheid bestrijden middels het aanbieden van vluchten die voor elke Indiër betaalbaar zijn: een mogelijk doemscenario voor het milieu. geografi e | mei 2010 37 Fietsers blokkeren de Mont Blanctunnel, waar dagelijks veel zwaar vrachtwagenverkeer pas- seert op weg naar Italië. Ze protesteren tegen de uitbreiding van de snel- weg met twee rijstroken. FOTO: SPANNER FILMS de tweestatenoplossing voor de onafhanke- zijn huis raast: deze voert via de Mont Blanc- De fi lm is gemaakt voor nog lijk heid en als zodanig beschouwd als de tunnel naar Italië en trekt sinds de opening geen 1% van het budget van vader van Pakistan. Jeh komt op het idee een in 1965 alsmaar meer vrachtwagens. Fernand lowbudget luchtvaartmaatschappij te starten demonstreert op de fi ets tegen verdere uit- The day after tomorrow wanneer hij voor liefdadigheidswerk in zijn breiding van het aantal rijstroken maar zijn privévliegtuig India doorkruist. Zijn vervoer- betoog gaat vooral over de dwaasheid van kosten zijn vaak veel hoger dan het geld dat ons economisch stelsel. Hij vertelt over aard- aan de bezochte dorpen besteed wordt om appelen die van Noord-Frankrijk op weg naar hen boven de armoedegrens te tillen. Het Midden- en Zuid-Italië langs zijn huis razen Zo proberen Piers en zijn vrouw Lisa de CO2- alter natief, de trein, kost veel te veel tijd. Jeh om daar gewassen, gepeld en gestampt te uitstoot van het gezin omlaag te krijgen, ze Wadia ziet een gat in de markt. Hij besluit worden en een paar dagen later verwerkt als verbouwen de helft van hun voedsel zelf en vluchten aan te bieden die voor elke Indiër puree in tegengestelde richting voorbij komen. demonstreren voor een beter klimaatbeleid. betaalbaar zijn met stuntprijzen van 1 roepie Hetzelfde geldt voor Franse melk die in Italië Hij is verder bezig met het inrichten van een (anderhalve eurocent). We volgen hem bij de voor de Franse markt tot yoghurt wordt windmolenpark maar moet het afl eggen tegen koop van een Airbus, het trainen van de be- verwerkt. de NIMBY-argumenten van welgestelde bur- manning en het opzetten van de organisatie. In het dagelijkse leven woont Piers Guy in gers die bang zijn voor hun uitzicht, dalende In 2010 beschikt zijn maatschappij Go Air Cornwall, Zuid-Engeland, waar hij met zijn grondwaarden en het gezoem van de wind- over acht Airbus-toestellen, ze vliegt op gezin zo milieuverantwoord mogelijk leeft. turbines. De wanhoop van Piers die als een twaalf bestemmingen vanuit Mumbai en verzorgt zo’n vierhonderd vluchten per week. Vanzelf rijzen doembeelden op over de milieu gevolgen als straks de hele Indiase Regisseur Franny Armstrong maakt bevolking toegang krijgt tot spotgoedkope opnamen van kamelen en zons- vluchten, de manier waarop Jeh de armoede ondergang in de Jordaanse woestijn. en ongelijkheid in India wil bestrijden. Zinloos verkeer In Engeland hebben Piers Guy en zijn gezin ook wroeging over de met een vliegreis samen- hangende CO2-emissie als zij worden uitge- nodigd voor een skivakantie in de Pyreneeën. Dat het skitoerisme andere milieugevolgen heeft lijkt hen niet te deren. Wij maken trouwens kennis met ze tijdens hun zomer- vakantie in de Alpen waar zij op een gletsjer wandelen met de Franse Fernand Pareau. Deze 82-jarige berggids heeft al meer dan 150 keer op de top van de Mont Blanc ge- staan en vertelt hoe hij de Mer de Glace in de loop der jaren heeft zien krimpen. Maar hij maakt zich vooral druk over de weg die langs FOTO: SPANNER FILMS 38 geografi e | mei 2010 Kinderen kijken naar het affakkelen van gas bij de oliewinning door Shell in Nigeria. roepende in de woestijn de ramp ziet aan- komen, is aandoenlijk. Ook Mark Lonas, de schrijver van Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet uit 2007 en de wereldarchivaris uit 2055 hameren in hun commentaar op het be- lang actie te ondernemen zolang het nog kan. Olieslachtoffers Veel urgenter zijn de problemen van Layefa Malemi, een Nigeriaanse van 23 jaar die graag medicijnen wil studeren. Ze leidt de kijker rond in haar dorp in de delta van de Niger, waar Shell olie omhoog haalt. De lokale bevolking lijdt onder de lucht- en watervervuiling en het geweld rond de oliewinning. Toegezegde hulpprojecten zijn op niets uitgelopen. Of neem Jamila en Adnan Bayyoud, twee Iraakse oorlogswezen die als vluchtelingen in Amman (Jordanië) wachten tot hun oudere broer ook toegelaten wordt tot Jordanië. Zij houden zich in leven met het oplappen en verkopen van afgedankte Amerikaanse (!) schoenen. De vitaliteit van de kinderen – Al Jazeera playbackend – staat in schril contrast met de omstandigheden waarin ze verkeren. Zij spelen oorlogje en Adnan wil geen Ameri- kaan meer zien want die hebben zijn vader, ‘de beste vader van heel Irak’, vermoord. De interventie van de Amerikanen in Irak van- wege de vermeende aanwezigheid van massa- vernietigingswapens en later vanwege demo- cratisch zendingswerk ging om de controle FOTO: SPANNER FILMS Financiering en distributie: de macht van de menigte he Age of Stupid is in menig opzicht droegen de – overigens bescheiden – kosten. niseren. Talrijke organisaties en individuele T innoverend. Bijvoorbeeld door de combi- Een vaste ploeg van zo’n honderd mensen wereldverbeteraars zorgden op deze manier natie van fi ctie, documentaires en animatie. van Team Stupid werkte jarenlang voor een voor een grote verspreiding. Dit model werkte Nieuw is ook dat de fi lm is gefi nancierd via minimumloon en veel vrijwilligers waren erg goed in landen met een sterke civil society crowd-funding: fondsverwerving door de betrokken bij tal van onderdelen, zoals de zoals Nederland. Vaak werden aansluitend menigte. De Britste documentairemaker montage en de ondertiteling. De makers debatten georganiseerd over klimaatverande- Franny Armstrong, bekend van McLibel melden trots dat hun fi lm voor nog geen half ring en noodzakelijk beleid, vooral in de (1995-2007) over de beruchte rechtszaak van miljoen Britse pond is gemaakt, dat is ruim aanloop van de klimaatconferentie van McDonald tegen Engelse Greenpeace-activis- een half miljoen euro – nog geen 1% van het Kopenhagen in december 2009. De VARA ten, en Drowned Out (2002) over het verzet budget van The day after tomorrow. De teller zond de fi lm bij die gelegenheid uit op de tegen de Namada Dam in India, startte het bereikt nu bijna 900.000 Britse pond (ofte- Nederlandse televisie. project in 2002. Armstrongs documentaire wel ruim een miljoen euro) voor de productie Ten slotte is de emissieverantwoording moest gaan over olie en klimaatverandering. en voor de distributie. aan het einde van de fi lm (en op de website) De werktitel was Crude (ruw, net als in ruwe Voor de distributie is geëxperimenteerd ook een noviteit. olie). Een groep van 228 individuen en met het Indie Screenings distribution system groepen (vooral uit het Verenigd Koninkrijk) waarbij iedereen een voorstelling kon orga- Meer informatie: www.ageofstupid.net/ geografi e | mei 2010 39 verhoging, neerslagverandering en conse- quenties voor de mensheid. De statistieken uit de animaties lenen zich goed voor verdere opdrachten. Denk aan het uitwerken van het voorstel voor een wereldsysteem van rantsoenering van CO2-uitstoot gericht op een rechtvaardige verdeling per capita en later op reductie.
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