Ghosts of Our Forest
Catalogue Number: LRP005
Producer: Loud Roar Productions
Producing Agencies: Loud Roar Productions
Subject: Canadian World Studies, Criminal Justice & Law, Documentary, Environmental Studies, History, Music, Social Sciences, Sociology
Language: English
Grade Level: 9 - 12, Post Secondary
Country Of Origin: Canada
Copyright Year: 2016
Running Time: 63:00
Closed Captions: Yes
In 1992, the pygmy Batwa people of Uganda were forcefully removed from their ancestral homes by the government to protect the habitat of the endangered gorilla population. Left with no compensation or resettlement plans, most Batwa people today live in poverty. They are fast dwindling in numbers. In a perverse twist of fate, many Batwa now make a living guiding tourists along the Batwa Trail, putting on show-and-tell performances of their former way of life for money. To "uplift" his people, 24-year-old Gad Semejeri has formed the Batwa Music Club, singing and dancing the spiritual and traditional music of the Batwa. Told through lush images with beautiful musical numbers, Ghosts of Our Forest is a sensitive portrayal of a people whose physical connection to nature has been forcefully severed but remains alive through song and story.
Official Selection – HotDocs 2017
Official Selection – Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2017
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