Guiana Shield media Project releases Documentary : Cowboys and Indians
From Guiana Shield Media Project
October 29, 2000
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA/ AMSTERDAM NETH. —
Cowboys and Indians - Ranching in the Rupununi, a 42-minute film, produced by the Guiana Shield Media Project is now ready for distribution.
Most of the discourse about the Amazonian environment has focused upon the rainforests. It is often forgotten that the Amazonian region possesses extensive savannah lands, with their own unique populations and ecosystems. In this programme, we travel to the Rupununi Savannahs of south-western Guyana, which are contiguous with the Gran Sabana of Venezuela and the savannahs of Roraima State in Brazil.
The film is the first in a projected series of documentaries designed to showcase different aspects of life in the Rupununi. It was filmed during the period leading up to the rodeo which is held at easter time.
GSMP has already produced two others Poison in the Lifeline (a film about the 1995 Omai cyanide spill) and the Wapishiana Hammock, a short film about the Rupununi Weavers Society.
Cowboys and Indians traces the history of cattle ranching in the Rupununi based mainly on interviews with ranchers and cowboys popularly known as `vaqueros'. Footage has been taken from a number of ranches including Dadanawa and Karanambo and highlights the fascinating body of culture and skills needed to make a livelihood from ranching.
The film also examines the difficulties faced by ranchers at the end of the twentieth century and analyses some of the possibilities for economic development as ranching becomes more difficult and less profitable. The possibilities include eco-tourism and wildlife conservation.
The documentary was directed and produced by Ray Kril and Terry Roopnaraine.
The GSMP is an environmental project with a focus on the Guiana Shield. The Guiana Shield stretches from northeastern Brazil, through French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela and eastern Colombia up to the Andes. Inhabited by many indigenous groups,
the region has become the focus of attention by several international environmental organisations and is considered exceptional as almost 90% of the terrain remains in a pristine state.
The primary objective of the GSMP is to develop informative media products such as television broadcasts, video documentaries, CD-ROMs and websites about social, cultural and environmental issues in the Guiana Shield territory for regional and international distribution.
http://www.gsmp.org
For more information, contact:
Ray Kril
coordinator- international
Guiana Shield Media Project
31 206931899
raykril@gsmp.org
Web site: http://www.gsmp.org