CELEP film festival & PASTRES photo exhibit in Brussels
On 8 December 2022, a photo exhibition and films from the “Perspectives on Pastoralism Film Festival” were presented in the Cinema Galeries in the centre of Brussels, Belgium. This event was organised by VSFB (Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium), the PASTRES (Pastoralism, Uncertainty & Resilience: Global Lessons from the Margins) research project funded by the European Research Council, and CELEP in support of the IYRP2026.
The first edition of the film festival was launched in Sept 2019 in Kassel, Germany, in order to deepen understanding of this undervalued livelihood and food-production system. The second edition was launched in Sept 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic, with films selected by CELEP members Agrecol (Germany), DITSL (Germany), VSFB (Belgium) and African partners, foremost the Centre for Research & Development in Drylands (CRDD). Four of the selected films from CELEP’s film festival were screened in Brussels:
- An afternoon on the pasture (Hungary) gives insight into the herding practices of László, a traditional Hungarian shepherd, and his dog.
- Cowherds of the savannah (Uganda) shows how Karamojong herders in northeast Uganda manage to turn the sparse vegetation on the rangelands into meat and milk.
- Shepherds of the Deccan (India) follows Dhangar nomads on the Deccan plateau in central India, where they face the growing threat of climate change.
- Bayandalai: lord of the taiga (Mongolia) explores the largest forest on earth through the eyes of a reindeer herder in northern Mongolia.
After the screening, speakers from three continents commented on the films and shared their experiences with the public:
- Nitya Ghotge, veterinarian, writer and filmmaker from the Indian NGO ANTHRA, talked about the making of her film Shepherds of the Deccan and about these pastoralists’ challenges and expectations.
- Emmanuel Emaruk, the VSFB Country Director in Uganda, who was born in Karamoja, spoke of his work with Karamajon pastoralists to enhance livestock husbandry and veterinary services.
- Michele Nori, a tropical agronomist and rural sociologist with the European University Institute, Italy, who has studied pastoralist livelihood systems for 25 years and is the co-lead of the PASTRES project, spoke of the lessons learnt during this project about how pastoralists in Tibet/China, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Kenya and Tunisia deal with uncertainty.
This panel discussion was moderated by Koen Van Troos, the former Focal Point of CELEP in Europe, now with Fairtrade Belgium.
More information about the 30 films selected from the first and second editions of the film festival and the complete catalogue can be found here: www.pastoralistfilmfestival.com.
PHOTO EXHIBITION “An uncertain world”
Increased market volatility, the climate crisis, rapid technological change, the spread of a pandemic – it’s difficult to keep up with the unfolding reality. And pastoralists are far from being spared. How do they navigate through such an uncertain world? This was the focus of the photo exhibition “An uncertain world”, presented in the exhibition hall of the cinema. A curated selection of images allowed viewers to discover the way pastoralists embrace uncertainty and meet the challenges of a turbulent world. The photos were taken by pastoralists and researchers collaborating in the PASTRES project research sites in China, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Kenya and Tunisia. Additional photos taken by members of CELEP and the IYRP initiative in Eastern Africa were also exhibited by VSFB.
Posted on 11 December 2022 in CELEP Documents, News, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition, Videos about Pastoralism