Tu ne verras pas verapaz

Original Title|Tu ne verras pas verapaz

56" | 2002 (Draft)

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(2 images)

'Tu ne verras pas Verapaz', a 19th-century song from Ghent, refers to an unfamiliar piece of Belgium's history: the former Belgian colony in Guatemala, Santo Tomas de Castilla.

synopsis

Wie goat er mee noar Verapas? Doar moete wij niet wirke eten en drenke op eu gemak, sloape gelijk een virke.' ('Who's coming to Verapas with us? There's no need to work there, just drink and eat if you want to and snooze like a pig.') This 19th-century song from Ghent refers to an unfamiliar piece of Belgium's history: the former Belgian colony in Guatemala, Santo Tomas de Castilla. When Leopold I bought a piece of Guatemala in 1843, his goal was not to exploit valuable resources as was done in the Congo, but to reduce crime levels in Belgium.To achieve this, he inspired rich stock holders to start up the 'Company of Colonisation'. Propaganda was vital: the Company handed out exotic engravings, fake letters supposedly written by Belgian migrants praising Santo Tomas as a land of plenty and representing Guatemala as a promised land. In this way they managed to deport the unemployed, losers and adventurers - rejects of 19th-century society.

Credits

Format

Creation details

Type
Film
Category
Doc
Genre
Year of production

2002
Production status
Draft
Original title
Tu ne verras pas verapaz

Technical specs

Running time
56"
Available formats
Analog Betacam

Contact & sales

Contact

Flanders Image

Bischoffsheimlaan 38
1000 Brussel
Belgium

T +32 2 226 06 30
flandersimage@vaf.be

www.flandersimage.com

Festivals & awards

Festivals

2012: Exhibition 'Vlamingrant' - Atlas, Antwerpen (BE)
2010: Maison de L 'Amérique Latine (BE), London Conference: Dilemma and Decision: Ethnographic Filmmaking in the Making. International Centre for Contemporary Cultural Research, Royal Anthropological Institute, Host: Institute for the Study o