Cry of the Owl

The Himba in Namibia

A film by Erez Laufer

In Namibia, in one of the most desolate regions of Africa, lives the Himba tribe, one of the last tribes trying to maintain a traditional way of life. Today the modern world is pressing in on them. Coupled with the real menace of HIV/AIDS, the Himba find their situation threatened from all sides. The film reveals the everyday lives of one family in an intimate manner. They open their home to us, and their hearts as well, as over the course of one year they share their innermost thoughts, desires and fears.

Big Mama, the head of the clan, has been diagnosed with a life-threatening case of tuberculosis. She is hospitalized in the nearest town which is hundreds of miles away from the village. Without her presence, the clan finds it hard to cope. On top of their worries about losing her, they have to deal with a mysterious cattle disease that is killing their herd at an alarming rate. The film follows three generations of strong Himba women, as they raise their children, trying to cope with the immense difficulties to simply survive.

70 min. Video or DVD. Sale $350. Video rental $85.

African Studies Association, 2006
Hot Docs, Toronto, 2005
Doc Aviv, Tel Aviv, 2005