Virunga (2014)

[bunniefuu]

Protect us, and help us to account

for each day of our lives.

Oh, Congo.

Our dear Ranger Kasereka died

trying to rebuild this country.

Charlie 5 says that

the enemy is moving your way.

If you listen carefully,

they're sh**ting to show their presence.

This is an ill*gal settlement.

Some rebels.

Where are the people who were with you?

I don't know.

Quiet! Keep your voice down.

I don't know.

So where are they?

They've gone away.

Isn't this poaching?

It wasn't me.

The one who ran away

is the one who k*lled it.

Just as I'd finished primary school,

we were recruited secretly in our town.

They told us, "You're leaving...

We're sending you to university.

To the best university in the world!"

You have to follow

all orders given to you.

If you attempt to escape,

they'll k*ll you.

My little brother Dona

was 15 years old.

Among many dead bodies I found his.

There was nothing I could do.

After we buried him,

we went on with the w*r.

But my mother insisted,

"You must leave the army

while you're still alive."

So I then escaped the army

to dedicate my life to the National Park.

They are the only mountain gorillas

in captivity in the world.

Ndakasi likes to play so much.

I have my human family.

I always tell them,

"You are my family...

but we have another family

in Rumangabo...

which is made up of four children."

There is Maisha, Kaboko,

Ndeze and Ndakasi.

You know that until now

we've had a big problem with poaching.

Poachers believe...

they can k*ll the parents

and take the baby away for sale.

This is the way we got Maisha.

Maisha was taken from poachers

who wanted to sell her.

She was rescued

when she was three years old.

Today, she is about

10 years and six months.

Kaboko is the one-handed male.

He lost the other hand

because of poaching.

Kaboko is a bit aggressive.

Maisha!

But they have

great affection for each other.

It is love.

When there was

the m*ssacre of our gorillas,

I was out in the field.

I was among the rangers

who discovered their bodies.

It was a great tragedy.

We had a total of

nine gorillas k*lled.

The logic was that

once the gorillas were k*lled,

there would be no reason

to protect the park anymore.

Many people came to see

what had happened to the gorillas.

They helped to transport their bodies.

It was like

members of the family had died.

SB SENKWEKWE

AGE: BORN IN 1987

MOTHER: UNKNOWN

FATHER: RUGENDO

k*lled JULY 22, 2007

Ndeze and Ndakasi are the two gorillas

that survived from that family.

Their mother and the rest

were k*lled in 2007.

When I met her...

she was really

so weak, weak, weak!

It's truly an unbelievable thing...

to see that she is alive,

and this is the reason why I say,

"I am not only a father..."

You know that these gorillas

as you see them here,

we're not keeping them

just for the sake of keeping them.

We take care of them in order

to one day release them

back into the forest in good health.

The vowel "E."

Yes, good. Carry on.

This one, which vowel is it?

Underneath the vowel "E,"

which vowel is it?

I may die at any time in an ambush by

people against the protection of the park.

Rangers commit to protect the park,

under very dangerous conditions

to their last breath.

130 rangers have died protecting Virunga.

I may die...

though I don't know when.

Our child is called Josue.

He is a small child

in whom I see lots of hope.

I think he can become a scientist.

After he has studied...

You said he needs

to study mathematics.

He can be like me for example,

you know I am a biologist.

Since you're a biologist,

he shouldn't become one, too.

He can be a geologist.

Yes, but it's still

in the sciences.

Change is good!

We don't want

people of his generation

to inherit a world or a country

as broken as ours.

WELCOME TO

RUMANGABO STATION

The Provincial Director of

Virunga National Park.

Good morning, everyone.

I was anxious to drop by the station

at morning roll-call.

Firstly, to greet you...

but also because you will all have heard

about the new troubles for the army.

We all hope it is a temporary situation

that will be sorted out.

The army will manage the situation

and activities will continue normally.

It's important to hope for the best,

but also be ready for the worst.

It's far, right?

I was appointed Station Chief in June 2006

by the Kinshasa office

to assume management of

Virunga's central sector.

We are at the heart of

the Rwindi Hotel here...

it is here that

the late President Mobutu Sese Seko's

distinguished guests stayed,

and that is where the President himself

spent the night whenever he came here.

BECAUSE OF WILD ANIMALS,

DON'T LEAVE YOUR BUNGALOW AT NIGHT!

w*r has ruined everything.

When I see it destroyed like this,

I am deeply unhappy.

When we started managing this sector

in May 2010,

there was almost nothing

because there were soldiers everywhere.

However, now there are antelopes,

warthogs, elephants, lions,

and a significant number of hippos.

So there is hope,

and even buffalos are coming back.

We are sure that in the next five years

the animal population

will re-establish itself as before.

Kaboko!

Kaboko!

Maisha!

You know that the gorillas we have here

at the Senkwekwe Center,

as they grow,

they become more intelligent.

They also gain weight

and become stronger and stronger.

Even stronger than us.

So you need to know their psychology

to care for them.

You cannot force them to do something

because if they

decide to be stubborn,

you will have difficulties.

Maisha!

She wants everything for herself.

That is the reason

we use Pringles

to deal with them.

Ndakasi.

When you give them

something they like,

they realize that you're their friend.

We do not give it to them as food...

but rather as

a tactic to handle them.

And then,

you will always have good results.

This is the only

region in the world

where you can

still find mountain gorillas.

There are only about 800

left in the whole world.

Now if we lose them,

we will have lost

something very important for humanity.

It is thanks to the animals,

especially these gorillas,

that our forest

continues to be protected.

Tourism brings in money

to help us sustain

the conservation of nature.

There are many projects

being implemented around the park

because of our gorillas.

Virunga National Park is really important

because it contributes to

the development of our country.

VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK

WWW.GORILLA.CD

People are really optimistic that

the park will make things better.

We always feel proud

to stay in this forest

and do this work.

You think there are 60,000 people here?

I think there are more and more

because people keep arriving.

Why do people keep coming?

It's because of the M23 rebels.

How do you feel about what has been

happening to you over the last few months?

When I look at my children,

I keep asking myself,

"My God, how will they grow up

under such conditions?"

I'm always worried about that.

SOCO, in collaboration with ICCN,

proceed to explore for oil

under Lake Edward.

Welcome to SOCO

We the people love you so much

Because you bring us development

In the coming years, this country

will be able to become

an oil producer.

Three years of team work with the support

of local and central authorities,

all the work of the local teams,

it's a fascinating adventure

and I don't have any regrets.

Now we just need to wait

for the oil to come.

When they come back,

what do we have to do?

What are your orders?

It's a good question.

If we close the gates,

if we stop them entering the park,

we risk huge trouble.

So we have to be cleverer than that.

It's not with weapons

that we are going to succeed,

but in documenting everything.

And if we bring this fight

in front of the police

in Congo,

but especially in England,

because SOCO is a British company.

This way we'll be able to defend ourselves

using their acts.

This oil issue might destroy everything.

If we fail, we'll not only lose Virunga,

but also the other parks in Congo.

All the other parks are going to sink.

Everyone will say,

"You're not allowing us to exploit oil

or ore in this park...

but you did so in Virunga."

If we fail here, the whole conservation

sector in Congo is going to fall.

It would be a disaster.

SOCO? Make Congo better?

No! And I repeat, no.

What will make Congo better?

It's work.

Work within the law.

All I know is that oil exploitation is

not compatible with conservation.

I am not saying that

because I am a ranger,

it's the law that says this.

If you look at everyone in the chain

of authorities in charge of the park,

Emmanuel de Merode is the only one

who doesn't feed on it.

We wonder what's wrong with him.

Everyone's noticed

that oil is something big.

It's worth billions of dollars.

It looks like he wants his government,

the Belgian one,

to be part of this exploitation,

or perhaps he wants them

to take control at a later stage.

Either way, he's the one

hindering the process,

and he's the only one.

At the moment,

the president's office,

everyone in the capital,

all have authorized it.

Even the minister for the environment

has authorized it.

So far it's simply a matter of checking

whether there is any oil.

It's like checking whether

a person's liver or heart is okay,

just checking if there's

something wrong or not.

I think you have come to the right place.

When your people

want to come into the park,

I can arrange things in my sector.

I can tell my people

that this is how things are going to be.

I'll have to speak to the minister,

so that the minister

can speak to you personally.

So the safety of the people of SOCO

can be given to Rodrigue

and his people.

But that should be your secret.

Just like that we can finalize it.

You get your cut,

and maybe you give me

a little of what they give you.

No problem.

People are being approached by SOCO

supporters and offered money.

Even people in Virunga's organization

are now working to undermine the park.

It is unclear who can be trusted.

What is the importance of this lake

for you as a community?

In Vitshumbi

we are about 2,000 inhabitants,

and all of us depend on this lake

as we don't have

any other work except fishing.

Therefore, fishing within

the Virunga National Park

is life for the community.

Our lives depend on it.

He says,

"We don't care about oil,

we earn our living

from the lake and fishing."

You see, we are barely surviving here.

In the past, things were much better.

But with the recent fighting,

people find their

living standards are falling.

Did SOCO come to ask for your views

about what is going on?

No, SOCO came in like a parachute.

We got up one morning

to see beautiful vehicles driving by.

We went to see who it was

and there were a few whites

and Captain Feruzi.

He's a military intelligence agent.

We were shocked to see him doing

a presentation to the people of the lake.

He told people that,

"If you accept SOCO here...

they will build

universities, roads and schools...

and you will have access

to cultivate in the park...

since at that moment

the park will be declassified."

All this frightens us locals.

It says, "Look, soldiers are here and

they could harm you if you don't comply."

Ndakasi!

Ndeze is expressing that...

she's not... happy because...

the breakfast is not ready yet.

Ndeze is smiling.

Ah, Kaboko!

Oil is an exhaustible resource

whereas fauna and flora

are inexhaustible resources.

Even if they are allowed to

exploit the oil,

it will one day come to an end.

But the park will remain

through the years.

From generation to generation,

people will see this park.

Big boss!

Josue!

Look how big he's grown.

He opened the door for you!

Now they need you!

They know you are important

in that sector where you can help us.

They also know that you are

"the right hand" of the park director.

Do you understand?

This means, "We're buying you."

First accept and let us collaborate

and then they will be in the position to

give you whatever you are asking for...

While we are working together,

and you hear things,

you'll feed us information secretly.

Directly to you. Whenever I can.

We are trying to gauge

Emmanuel de Merode's position.

So what are we talking about?

3,000 dollars.

3,000? Okay.

You'll get your share

and no one will know a thing!

Captain Feruzi claims to work

for SOCO security contractors.

He is offering bribes

to work against the park.

This corruption threatens

everything we're working for.

Okay, I'm going to the bathroom,

I'll meet you downstairs.

It is the goal to check if we have oil

and then we compare.

Conservation, how much is it worth?

Oil, how much is it worth?

Do we start production?

But these people have their own vision

of the park's future.

They've been looking after it

for almost a century.

Moreover, it is full of rebels,

full of poachers, full of mess.

It is completely absurd.

The best solution, effective for everyone,

is to recolonize these countries.

There is no other solution.

For things to go well,

we have to manage them

because they are not able

to manage themselves.

They are like children, actually.

They aren't mature enough, I'd say.

You are tough with the Congolese people.

No, no, I know them too well.

There is this guy, who blocks,

because he's Belgian,

from the royal family, etc.

And he's responsible for the park,

so he's got all the power in this park.

His management gave us permission

but he stands in our way.

I think he plays

his political role a little bit,

as a member of the royal family.

I would quite like to be his friend,

but he doesn't want to be my friend.

Did you try?

No. I shook his hand once.

I'd been in Goma three days.

I didn't know anything.

Okay, thanks.

Thanks, see you soon.

I'll keep the car in drive position

in case we have to get out of here fast.

We'll go together with Josue.

Josue, how are you doing?

This is Pieter Wright.

He is my boss.

He is a security advisor with SOCO.

The reason I wanted to see you was to be

able to put a name to your face because...

very soon, we will start

working in that area.

We will contact you regularly.

We will now give you a little something...

Just to say thank you.

It is important that we work together.

So what I want to say with regard to

the difficulties we are facing,

is that if we are strong

and we withstand the situation,

it is because we work as a team.

Please always remember

that you have done a great job.

You have shown your courage

and some of your friends

have died for the rebuilding of the park.

The other thing

I wanted to tell you about is

the confusion which has developed

around the oil issue with SOCO.

And what I want

to tell you is very simple.

We are here to enforce the law.

It is law which allows

peace re-establishment

and country reconstruction.

We are not here

to work for business interests,

be it with regard to oil.

It is about integrity and honesty.

We have to maintain

the respect and discipline

which characterize us.

I'm doing a boy's band.

M23 cover album.

Okay. I'll give the whole pack away, then.

What is that?

What do you want to drink?

A coffee?

Maybe not Heineken again,

it's a bit early.

It's Sunday!

You have Heineken on Sunday?

On Sunday, on Saturday...

The other days I can't drink much

because I'm working.

And at the moment

are you working a lot?

Communication is so much work,

it's tiring.

I am a great notable of Rutshuru.

You have a lot of land there, don't you?

How many hectares?

2,000 hectares, that's it.

And the friends from SOCO

have put marker stones on my land

to mark out the Block 5, their concession.

Some people don't like

SOCO doing its work here.

Minister Vunabandi asked me to calm them.

I did that job.

I've communicated to the population

that it's better to work with SOCO

than work with the park.

You told them that it was better?

Yes, I told the people

better with SOCO than with the park.

If SOCO works with us,

in particular with me...

I am in the M23, but outside the M23

I have my private businesses.

All right, so you would have a percentage?

Yes, we are asking for a percentage.

They cannot exploit oil without us.

It's a percentage,

whether it is 0.01 or 0.001.

Yes, it can be a lot of money.

A lot.

They used a chainsaw to remove

part of the head and the upper jaw.

They took that, as well as the tusks.

Examining the ballistics

suggests this wasn't

the work of poachers

we are familiar with.

This was a military style operation.

We will march on the capital Kinshasa!

Long live M23!

Ladies, gentlemen,

we regretfully announce

the resumption of w*r

by the Kinshasa government.

So the goal isn't to gain more territory?

No, let me be clear.

If the government agree

to enter into dialogue with us

and suspend their attacks,

we are here for peace.

If they continue to violate the truce,

then we know what we will do.

Hey! Did you get my text?

No, no, no, you didn't tell me

where you were.

Okay. Opposite Rouge

and it's called "Grill"?

Okay, cool. Let's do that. Perfect.

Please be careful, sir.

I hate that.

If you pull the trigger now, it goes off.

I hate when they do that.

No security on!

So we speak English tonight.

No, Franais!

My Franais is a bit sh*t.

What do you define yourself as?

Some people would say I'm a mercenary.

You're a mercenary?

Some people would...

some people wouldn't.

The people here are nice, but I tell you

one thing, they've got bloodlust.

They k*ll for the f*cking sake of k*lling

and they f*cking hinge on it.

There are lots of rebels...

you look at them

and straight away you think...

The energy is up and you think...

-they enjoy it.

-f*cking mad, yeah?

They like it and there is nothing

you can do about it.

You can't educate, you can't...

Culture them?

There is nothing you can change

in their mentality

because it's f*cking primeval.

It is primeval, it is ancient,

it is inbred psychology

that you cannot f*cking change.

Don't you talk to these guys?

Who?

Which ones?

-The rebels?

-Yeah?

We talk to them every day.

Well, not me, but subcontractors.

We don't deal with the rebels.

You've got to give them money

to be able to travel through the area.

What do you think you're doing

with DEI (SOCO security contractors)?

How much do you think

SOCO's paid f*cking...

Shut up!

We have a journalist here!

If you're gonna be honest, be honest.

And while you're paying them and

keeping them happy, they'll work with you.

I never spoke to a f*cking rebel myself.

That's why we subcontract that sh*t.

Who's paying the f*cking money?

You or them?

-Subcontractors.

-No, you can't get away with that.

It doesn't matter

where the money comes from.

Of course it does,

without the money the job doesn't happen.

f*cking civilians don't get k*lled.

You don't have w*r.

It's the money that fuels everything.

So to give them money and then turn around

and say it's nothing to do with us...

It's just f*cking hypocritical.

You know, it's just... It's playing God.

But if you're gonna do it,

at least be f*cking honest about it!

It's business, it's business,

and business is business.

Now we can see the value of that park,

mining-wise.

It's just a f*cking mine, this park.

It could be colossal.

-With the intelligence, it's crazy...

-It is colossal.

...the money you could pull out.

Now what they defend,

I'm not sure it's all about animals.

I'm not sure at all.

It ain't gorillas, put it that way.

I don't think it could be

so highly involved

to do the sh*t they do.

Unless they're sh1tting diamonds

and f*cking pissing iron ore,

they don't give a f*ck

about the gorillas.

f*ck me, it's a monkey,

who gives a f*ck about a f*cking monkey?

Firstly, as you all know

there were clashes yesterday

and the fighting intensified in Bunagana.

But we need to prepare ourselves in case

that fighting may spread

and affect us here in Rumangabo.

It's Melanie.

They're approaching.

Yes, the M23.

And the army is fleeing towards Bukavu.

The villagers are about to start leaving.

We are going to stay here.

I just wanted to know

about the food for the gorillas.

How many days' worth do we have left?

Two days.

The M23 rebels are in Rubare.

If they cut off Mwaro,

we'll have to cope with what we have.

We think we have a problem.

The danger is near us.

Good morning again.

I wanted to tell you that

the explosions you heard some time ago

were M23 rebel actions.

You should all have your essential items

packed and be ready for evacuation.

PRESS

We are going to Kibati actually.

It's a bit further.

Sorry, is there a problem?

I'll start by calling the names.

If you hear your name,

move aside with your belongings

and children so that I can see you.

If there is excessive luggage,

I will leave it!

They are advancing.

They're nearly at Kalengera.

We've got to hurry.

If everybody is there,

then we must start the evacuation.

Yes, let's evacuate everyone who's ready.

Hi, is everything okay?

No, he's really weakened.

What's caused it?

Diarrhea. He suffered from diarrhea

the whole night last night.

But yesterday, he played and he ate.

What is his name?

Kaboko.

Ah, he's the one called Kaboko.

He is suffering.

You see, he's suffering.

If they ask us

to hand over our arms...

Yes.

...we'll have to react fast

and hide them.

If they ask us to do that,

and I'm telling you I know them well,

it would be worse than you think.

If they are telling us

to hand them over...

You all know the situation.

The M23 rebels are about to arrive here.

Our role now is to protect the station.

It is very likely that this zone

falls under the control of M23.

And I am counting on you to stay with me.

Our role is simply to stay here

to watch over the station

which is there for the park.

If they come here,

we cannot fight against them.

I will be the last to leave Rumangabo.

-Stop, stop! Stop.

-Yes, yes, yes.

-Quickly, let's go!

-Get in.

-Here, here, here.

-Quick, quick, quick!

Going to Ihusi. Yes.

The Congolese army are

deploying around the station.

Rutshuru is under the control of M23.

Really?

There is going to be trouble here.

Yes, I think so.

They are my life.

So if it is about dying,

I will die for the gorillas.

We've been informed

that the enemy is on his way.

You know why we are here.

If they were to go further over,

we'd be between the hammer and the anvil.

Even here... we are between

the hammer and the anvil.

Yes.

They're here.

Yes, M23 are in Rumangabo.

The M23 rebels are here.

They've entered.

So there is nothing.

No more Congolese soldiers. They left.

The country is sold.

In the last few days,

we have had many wounded people.

The majority are children.

All these people were shot.

This one almost died

but we gave him a blood transfusion.

Do you know how old is he?

Five... he's five.

It's the money that fuels everything.

Now we can see the value of that park.

Yes, we are asking for a percentage.

They cannot exploit oil without us.

So now there are death threats coming.

Death threats, from both sides.

Some people are threatening

to k*ll de Merode.

It doesn't come from us,

we don't know from whom.

They know that the blockage

comes from him.

They are going to k*ll him.

We're going to celebrate.

There's an even smaller one.

It's only 3 months old.

You know that Kaboko was the only male

that we had here at the Senkwekwe Center.

In my heart, I still miss him.

I really miss him.

But I have started understanding

that these things happen.

And even the other gorillas,

especially Maisha...

Maisha also lost Kaboko.

But...

We are trying to realize life goes on.

I have accepted to give

the best of myself,

so that wildlife can be safeguarded

beyond all pressure.

Beyond all spirit of

greediness about money.

Beyond all things.

All that could happen to me...

I will accept it.

I am not special.

We cannot stand weak and say,

"SOCO, go ahead."

In the end, we will be judged...

if we just stand by as the park vanishes.

But our wish is that

this park lives forever.