35 Cows And A Kalashnikov | An African Journey

"No boy soldiers. No hunger. No safaris."

Here's a beautifully produced trailer of a movie titled 35 Cows And A Kalshasnikov by Oswald Von Reicththoven.

It's in three parts: a tribute to the stick-fighting Surma tribe of Southern Ethiopia, the dandy movement of Brazzaville and the voodoo wrestlers in Kinshasa.

Stick fighting is a sport and ritual the Surma people take extremely seriously. In most cases, stick fighting is done so young men can find wives, and is a way for young men to prove themselves to the eligible young women.

The "dandy" movement of Brazzaville involves young men who love to wear meticulously in sartorially fashionable dress, and these are known as "sapeurs". Pastel-colored three-piece suits in designer labels are a staple of the Sapeurs' fastidiously assembled ensembles. They stand out among the widespread poverty, strutting the streets like walking works of art.

In the Congo, wrestling is extremely popular, but the main difference between the way it's practiced here is that the Congolese like to introduce a mystical, magical “voodoo” element to the theatrics. So apart from the obvious play-acting, there are also “magical traditions” involving powders, spells and zombie-like transformations of wrestlers.

Oswald von Richthofen is a producer and director, known for 10000 BC (2008), 35 Cows and a Kalashnikov (2014) and Franzmann (1979).