A Distant Thud in the Jungle

Papua New Guinea’s feverish highlands have become the land of plenty for tourists in search of exoticism and foreign oil companies looking for new fields. In search of modernity, the Wabiria family has traded its traditional lands to ExxonMobil for royalties. But the money never comes and the family realises their landed is being stolen as they are caught between rival tribes, greedy politicians and one of the most powerful multinationals in the world. A world quietly disappears while only a few kilometres away tourists take snap shots of dances that have become meaningless.

‘ExxonMobil’s arrival was a historic milestone for the highland tribes who had been subsistence farmers, living on sweet potatoes, pig farming, hunting and gathering in the primeval forests covering their ancestral land. Part of their land has now been bought up with promises of financial compensation. Yet, they are the forgotten ones on the world’s marketplace. Alas, the royalties are yet to be paid. The money was confiscated by the government and embezzled by corrupt local officials. ExxonMobil and its partners know about it but they claim to be powerless: after all, it’s only a matter of local politics, Papuan business. This is the story I wanted to tell for it symbolizes the absurdity and violence of our era.’

Céline Rouzet, Director