Amrit Bains’ proposals for Water reminded me of a number of classic West African films depicting life and creative tension amongst people who are concerned with different issues but always struggling against the backdrop of dry, arid and extremely demanding environment of semi-deserts and deserts of Mali, Northern Nigeria and Senegal.

The heat is oppressive. People are able to adapt to it but at the same time never forgetting the power of the environment in shaping the direction and quality of life. There is almost an unspoken ‘respect’ for the environmental forces which determine the powerful background for life in several West African films…the hot and punishing midday sun gives way to cool early evenings which raise expectations; people can feel that something will happen which will give the evening a special meaning. I also felt the same type of expectation during the dry season in Southern Zambia while looking at the phenomenal scenery around the Kariba Dam. It was almost as if the passing of the hot day would release uncontrollable energy which would lead to a major event; a hunt, a crocodile claiming another victim, people forgiving the hot afternoon and coming out to claim a piece of action which was not possible only a few hours earlier when the sun’s power and might had reduced them to a role of passive recipients who could only win by remaining calm and silent… because any resistance to the heat would be self-defeating and highly costly in terms of managing their own energies…

The same heat and dust is felt on the vast and open terrain of the Indian deserts in Rajasthan and which would presumably be worse in the event hotter environment on the Pakistani side, especially the Rann of Kutch which provided the backdrop to the war between India and Pakistan in 1965 but also made people realise that the going to war in such a harsh environment was futile…
Returning to West African film in particular I am reminded of Guelwaar which remains a classic and clearly the sort of film which would attract docudrama with potentially a high level of impact. Is anyone looking into this out there?

Notes on Guelwaar can be seen at http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/49355