In
2001-2002, the Truth
Talking Project of TVE Asia Pacific supported indigenous
film-makers in six countries across the region to produce half
hour documentaries that looked at how local communities are
responding to natural or man-made crises that threaten their
lives, lifestyles and livelihoods. The resulting package offers
a glimpse of the multitude of issues and complexities confronted
by the world's largest region -- home to more poor people than
all other regions combined. These programmes portray stories
of resilience, extraordinary courage, leaps of human faith and
glimmers of hope.
Cambodia:
Small Arms, Big Problems (26')
After three decades of armed conflict, Cambodia is awash
with large numbers of sophisticated small arms that can be bought
in the market for a few dollars. Many have started using these
weapons to settle personal or property disputes. The civil wars
have ended but violence continues, with women and children among
the worst affected. Concerned citizens are now working with
the government to round up as many weapons as possible. But
some trigger-happy Cambodians are not easily convinced.
South
Pacific: Voices from the Waves (25')
Global warming will raise sea levels, wreaking havoc on the
small island nations in the South Pacific. Some low-lying islands
will be submerged completely while others will suffer massive
damage. These impacts will change forever the Pacific islanders'
natural environment, culture, livelihoods and lifestyles - all
of which are intricately linked. This programme sees these complex
survival issues through the eyes of two teenagers -- Dilagi,
a Fijian girl, and Bernard, a boy from Kiribati. Their plea:
relocation is not a viable option, and our way of life is not
negotiable.
India:
Rebuilding Hope (26')
What defence can ordinary people have when the earth itself
shakes, shattering in a few minutes what they have been building
for decades? Life would never be the same for millions of people
in the western Indian state of Gujarat after the devastating
earthquake of January 2001. But as soon as the dust settled,
communities started rebuilding their lives slowly but steadily.
Sometimes they worked with the government, and at other times
in spite of the government. Within a year, the landscape had
been transformed.
Nepal:
Love for a Longer Life (26')
The invisible human immunodeficiency virus, which causes
AIDS, is shaking up the entire social fabric in the Asia Pacific.
With more and more people living with HIV, countries have been
challenged to come to terms with the pandemic, and to begin
to care for affected persons. After being shunned for years,
Nepalis with HIV are now slowly being integrated back into the
community's fold. In cities and villages, courageous men and
women with HIV are raising awareness, counselling others and
valiantly leading positive lives. People like Rajiv Kufle.
Laos:
Roads to the Future (26')
The young people in Laos would like to earn more money and embrace
the material world. But most are poor and uneducated, and have
few options to pursue their dreams. Crossing over to nearby
Thailand as unskilled workers, they become easy prey to narcotics,
crime, prostitution and HIV. Concerned community groups have
recently moved in to help those affected, while others are trying
to prevent thousands more from making the same mistakes.
Bangladesh:
Facing the Future (26')
Women have come increasingly under acid attacks as a form of
retaliation, killing some and disfiguring many for life. Most
victims are young women like Kakoli, who was attacked for spurning
a fellow student's marriage proposal. As the attacks increase,
Bangladeshi civil society is agitating for stricter punishments
for the criminals and greater care for the victims. Meanwhile,
survivors have joined hands with citizen groups to raise awareness.
Funding
support for the Truth Talking Project came from the Civil Society
Challenge Fund, Department for International Development (DFID)
of the UK government, and Novib
- Oxfam Netherlands.
