[under-the-mens-tree--Film-list-image]

1973 / 15 minutes

Directed by
David MacDougall Judith MacDougall
Country of production
United States Australia

At Jie cattle camps in Uganda men often gather under a special tree to make leather and wooden goods and talk, relax, and sleep. This brilliant ethnographic documentary by renowned filmmakers David and Judith MacDougall captures one particularly riveting discussion one afternoon under the men’s tree. The conversation on this particular afternoon becomes a kind of reverse ethnography, centering on the European’s most noticeable possession, the motor vehicle. This is a uniquely delicate and intimate film, filled with the humor of the Jie and, implicitly, the ironic wit of the filmmakers.

Language and subtitles
Jie with English Subtitles
Region
East Africa
Country
Uganda
Keywords
Infrastructure / Transport Informant-researcher relationship Reflexivity