Hard to miss it. In traditional attire with his porcupine spine in his nose and his imposing headdress, Mundiya Kepanga stands out wherever he goes. For almost twenty years now, he has been traveling the world to warn about the consequences of climate change. From the biggest stages to the smallest, like this Monday in Ostwald, in the Strasbourg metropolitan area.
With French reporter and director Marc Dozier, this chief of a tribe from Papua New Guinea came to present his second film to MAIF members. After Tree Brothers in 2017, this second opus, Guardians of the forest, testifies to all the changes underway in his country to fight against deforestation. A resolutely positive documentary which will be visible on Arte next Saturday, December 9. And that he hopes carries his message: everyone can act at their own level to protect the planet.
How did you come up with the idea of becoming a whistleblower?
I have always shared this message of environmental protection. But in 2015, I was invited to COP21 [à Paris] to testify about global warming in my country in front of heads of state from around the world. At this conference, someone came to ask me a very strange question. He took me for a great sage with my feathers on my head and asked me how to fight global warming. I was distraught because I didn’t go to school, I don’t know how to read or write, I didn’t know what to answer. Then I thought a lot and said that in my tribe, no one can control the elements. But the only thing we could do was to respect nature. If so, she will respect us in return. This is why I wanted to make my first film and why my commitment at the international level was strengthened.
After all these years of delivering your message, do you feel additional listening from the public? Awareness ?
I can hardly answer because I cannot open people’s hearts and see if they are really concerned about the issue. But it’s true that I see a larger, more attentive public, also very worried about this global climate problem. In my country, the situation has already changed because our new Prime Minister is really aware of the importance of forests. Many projects have emerged to protect it, which makes me happy.
In fact, this is the heart of your second film…
Yes, there have been a lot of changes since 2017. The government plans in particular to ban the export of logs, which should significantly limit deforestation. There is political will and international aid serves as a lever to help us protect our forest, which is a world heritage site. So it seemed good to me to bear witness to it and show what it is possible to do. I would like it to influence and inspire almost everywhere on the planet. I invite everyone to act. Everyone can do it at their own level, I hope this second film will encourage them to get moving.
Are you positive or rather worried about the future?
I’m not making predictions. Nature is queen. I’m going to be a little trivial: I can’t tell when I’m going to pee! I repeat, nature decides. For the future, it’s the same. What is important is that everyone acts to become a guardian of the forest at their own level. I hope my films will have an impact, it’s essential for me.
Do you already have the idea of a third film?
We just finished this one… It already seems important to me to see what reception it will receive and then use it as a lever to change habits. Afterwards, yes, I will probably have another project but it’s too early to talk about it. And here, I apologize, I have the call of nature!