Katak: The Brave Beluga
The documentary deals with the delicate topic of the present-day slave trade between families on a remote Sumba island in Indonesia, where local beliefs demand that those born into the Ata caste must…
Katak: The Brave Beluga
The documentary deals with the delicate topic of the present-day slave trade between families on a remote Sumba island in Indonesia, where local beliefs demand that those born into the Ata caste must serve their Maramba masters of royal blood. When a master dies, their servants are buried with them. Age-old traditions of the South-East Asian slave trade are exploited by contemporary human traffickers, who mainly target women and children of Ata origin. Following the challenging pursuits of Jeremy Kewuan, an Indonesian activist fighting against slavery for over a decade, we delve into the complexities of the local culture where some people have basic rights and others simply don't. Jeremy makes close contact with both the victims and the enablers of human trafficking, unraveling the moral landscape that justifies the torture of women and children. Witnessing mental and physical abuse across generations, it seems almost impossible for Jeremy to evoke a change, only to realize that even in his own life, he is stuck in patterns of tradition. His girlfriend is unable to marry Jeremy due to an unfulfilled dowry payment that hangs over his head. Trapped by cultural principles on both ends, Jeremy seems to victimize his girlfriend through his activist ideals. When Jeremy visits a farmhouse deep in the forest, he finds three child slaves that belong to a shaman named Lucky. One of the children is Witta, a girl of eight years old with scars on her body. Lucky claims they are slaves till their death, just like their ancestors. With the help of the nuns, Jeremy secures Witta's freedom, but only briefly. She is brought back to Lucky and then disappears... Jeremy enlist the help of villagers and other former slaves to find Witta. Stories go around about a girl living in the forest, stealing clothing and food in the night. Witta is finally found back. She says she was beaten and not given any food. The town chieftain is called upon, as well as the original families of the slave children to confront Lucky. After heated discussions about abuse, the town chieftain confirms, despite protest from the nuns and Jeremy, that Lucky must be the rightful owner. Lucky paid for the children, yet he refuses to show adoption papers. Jeremy falls into a state of despair having lost the freedom of the slave children. He enlists Lina, a relative of Witta to sign family papers to be Witta's mother-guardian, effectively freeing Witta from slavery. Witta is now going school, her dream is to have her own bike, a sign of her new identity as a free girl. Jeremy's poignant victory underscores the ongoing fight against human abuse, as numerous girls in similar predicaments await emancipation on the island. While painting a vivid picture of social hierarchies on a remote tropical island following the story of one family, the film raises universal questions on hierarchies based on unchosen conditions such as race, class or caste. Through Jeremy we also draw attention to the often painful and unrealized juxtapositions between the personal and the political in pursuits of changing the world.
Katak: The Brave Beluga
Adventure,Animation,Comedy
Film Details
The documentary deals with the delicate topic of the present-day slave trade between families on a remote Sumba island in Indonesia, where local beliefs demand that those born into the Ata caste must serve their Maramba masters of royal blood. When a master dies, their servants are buried with them. Age-old traditions of the South-East Asian slave trade are exploited by contemporary human traffickers, who mainly target women and children of Ata origin.
Following the challenging pursuits of Jeremy Kewuan, an Indonesian activist fighting against slavery for over a decade, we delve into the complexities of the local culture where some people have basic rights and others simply don't. Jeremy makes close contact with both the victims and the enablers of human trafficking, unraveling the moral landscape that justifies the torture of women and children. Witnessing mental and physical abuse across generations, it seems almost impossible for Jeremy to evoke a change, only to realize that even in his own life, he is stuck in patterns of tradition.
His girlfriend is unable to marry Jeremy due to an unfulfilled dowry payment that hangs over his head. Trapped by cultural principles on both ends, Jeremy seems to victimize his girlfriend through his activist ideals. When Jeremy visits a farmhouse deep in the forest, he finds three child slaves that belong to a shaman named Lucky.
One of the children is Witta, a girl of eight years old with scars on her body. Lucky claims they are slaves till their death, just like their ancestors. With the help of the nuns, Jeremy secures Witta's freedom, but only briefly.
She is brought back to Lucky and then disappears... Jeremy enlist the help of villagers and other former slaves to find Witta. Stories go around about a girl living in the forest, stealing clothing and food in the night.
Witta is finally found back. She says she was beaten and not given any food. The town chieftain is called upon, as well as the original families of the slave children to confront Lucky.
After heated discussions about abuse, the town chieftain confirms, despite protest from the nuns and Jeremy, that Lucky must be the rightful owner. Lucky paid for the children, yet he refuses to show adoption papers. Jeremy falls into a state of despair having lost the freedom of the slave children.
He enlists Lina, a relative of Witta to sign family papers to be Witta's mother-guardian, effectively freeing Witta from slavery. Witta is now going school, her dream is to have her own bike, a sign of her new identity as a free girl. Jeremy's poignant victory underscores the ongoing fight against human abuse, as numerous girls in similar predicaments await emancipation on the island.
While painting a vivid picture of social hierarchies on a remote tropical island following the story of one family, the film raises universal questions on hierarchies based on unchosen conditions such as race, class or caste. Through Jeremy we also draw attention to the often painful and unrealized juxtapositions between the personal and the political in pursuits of changing the world..