BAMBOO STORIES
Bamboo has probably touched you. It’s a commonly used material, for many reasons. It’s one of the fastest-growing plants in the world -- growing as much as 3 feet in 24 hours. It can withstand heavier loads than wood, brick or even concrete. It is as strong as steel. And in many ways, so are the men who harvest it.
Bamboo Stories, a new documentary film by Shaheen Dill-Riaz, takes us to northeastern Bangladesh, into the lives of five men as they bring bamboo from the forest to the marketplace. It is no small feat.
Featured at the Woodstock Film Festival, this film immerses us in the beauty of the jungle and river as well as of the human spirit.
The bamboo harvesters face a dangerous mission. They must conquer the great river with their raft. Their journey will last a month and take them 300 kilometers downstream. Their cargo: 25,000 bamboo logs. During daytime, endless heat, pouring rain and dangerous rapids keep the men on their toes. At night, river pirates lurk in the darkness for easy prey. But it is worth it for the men, who all make the journey as part of their very own struggles for existence.
The men have only have one goal: get the bamboo to the wholesalers in the capital Dhaka on time.
From above, the woods like a vast expanse of lush green that comes in all variations of the color. On the ground, the bamboo forest is much less romantic. Here leeches, centipedes and evil spirits have driven some poor souls into madness. At least that’s what Liakot, the foreman of the bamboo cutters, says. He has been working in the woods since his childhood, when he learned the craft from his father.
If you’re lucky, you’ll find Liakot somewhere in this bamboo jungle, where he spends his days cutting down bamboo and digging canals into the muddy ground. Under his supervision, his men build dams made out of bamboo and mud to stow mountain water. Always on guard against wild elephants and the strict gaze of the forest leaseholder, they cut their way ever deeper into the forest, one log at a time. Everyone yearns for the day when they will hop on a bundle of bamboo and surf the rapids down to the valley.
Down by the big river the raftsmen are already waiting. Shoheed and his men use about 60 bundles of bamboo to build a huge raft. They’ll soon set sail to get the logs to the traders in Dhaka.
The raft will be their home for the next four weeks. “Toilet, bathroom, laundry room, the river is all in one,” says Shoheed. He points to the water and grins: “Of course we use it for cooking as well”. His humor helps the men bear the hardships and dangers of the long journey. Their route will lead them through treacherous waters, where corrupt policemen and river pirates often appear out of nowhere.
With a keen eye on details, Dill-Riaz observes and shares the lives of the men in the forest and on board. They soon become travelers who move between different worlds, each with its own laws and rules. Why do the men accept the bad pay, the hardships and the danger? And why would they never give up this trade even as the whole bamboo business is gradually dying?
Read more Beautiful Stories in film featured at the Woodstock Film Festival in our weeklong series.
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