No Comments// Posted in blog by admin on 07.25.09.

1. pygmy - A member of any of various peoples, especially of equatorial Africa and parts of southeast Asia, having an average height less than 5 feet.
2.  An individual of unusually small size.
3. An individual considered to be of little or no importance.

Pygmy is a portrait of a group of people who are considered the marginalised of the marginalised. It is also a story about tourism and aid, a study of attitudes and perceptions, and an examination of the myths that continue to shape our understanding of indigenous people.

The term “Pygmy” is as much a tourist brand name for “exotic forest dweller”, as it is imposed racial grouping of short people. It is a term inseparable from tourism, as Pygmies have been a popular tourism attraction almost from the moment they were “discovered”.

We began filming the documentary two years ago when Stan Frankland was visiting the Basua who live in western Uganda. A professor in St Andrew’s college, Stan has been studying the Basua for nearly twenty years and is writing a book on his insights. 

We were struck by the uniqueness of their situation. The Basua are considered among the most marginalized of pygmy groups, having suffered war and displacement, and being removed from forest resources. A tourist attraction for most of the 20th Century, the Basua have, to many people, become almost a picture postcard for the destructive power of “progress”. Alcoholism, violence and drug abuse have seen their stock among tourists deteriorate and they are now considered vagabonds, dependent on aid.

The Brandt Tourist Guide (1998) claims that their situation offers “a short, sharp lesson in the potential consequences of irresponsible cultural voyeurism”. The Lonely Planet (1997) sees them as an example of “another unique culture hitting the dust”.

However, as Stan writes, “the Basua have failed in their allotted role as tourist attraction because they have not been ‘Pygmy’ enough, their behaviour has not corresponded with tourist expectations”.

Pygmy will be investigating just how the Basua have been challenging the expectations, and the various ways they have been engaging with and responding to their circumstances.

We will be filming again in September and aim to have it completed by March of 2009. Please contact us for more information.

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