• Director(s):

    VIOTTE (Michel)

  • Producer(s):

    ARTE FRANCE, COMPAGNIE DES INDES (LA), IDEACOM INTERNATIONAL

  • Territories:

    Worldwide.

  • Production year:

    2003

  • Language(s):

    German, English, French

  • Rights:

    NON-THEATRICAL, TV, VOD, DVD

The eventful history of the relationship between Man and animals in the heart of Africa, from Roosevelt's famous safari in 1909 to the heated contemporary debate on wild species conservation.

The early 20th century was the golden age of the safari: for a period of about thirty years, all over the world, the word "safari" conjured up an image of long lines of bearers led by a seasoned white hunter paid to guide wealthy tourists through the bush in search of thrills and exoticism.
The adventure-symbol of the safari is inseparably linked with the colonial era, but it has survived the end of that era and reinvented itself to fit in with changes in African circumstances and Western attitudes and a growing public awareness of ecological issues.
This exploration of the topic of safaris reveals how our perceptions of Africa and its wildlife have changed, and highlights the real issues: there is a consensus that the ecosystem is in danger of collapsing, but the benefits and drawbacks of the various solutions put forward have to be carefully weighed up.
The film also attempts to define what it is about safaris that continues to attract people to East and South Africa, and why they yearn to see wild animals from close to, be it through the sights of a gun or the lens of a camera.