Wodaabe - Die Hirten der Sonne. Nomaden am Südrand der Sahara

Herzog's documentary of the Wodaabe people of the Sahara/Sahel region. Particular attention is given to the tribe's spectacular courtship rituals and 'beauty pageants', where eligible young men strive to outshine each other and attract mates by means of lavish makeup, posturing and facial movements.

They are traditionally nomadic cattle-herders and traders in the Sahel, with migrations stretching from southern Niger, through northern Nigeria, northeastern Cameroon, southwestern Chad, and the western region of the Central African Republic. Today (2016) they are estimated to number around 100,000.

I have to thank Herzog for this document. I am not sure if I had heard of the Wodaabe before, but they are a fascinating people, mixing African traditions with Islamic culture, and certainly a variety of their own practices. The makeup and other modifications almost make them look fake, like china dolls or some such thing. Why they consider themselves such beautiful people is easy to see.

Werner Herzog considers his "Wodaabe - Die Hirten der Sonne. Nomaden am Südrand der Sahara" ("Herdsmen of the Sun" in English) not an ethnographic documentary, but simply a study of the human condition at that particular time on the planet. This look at the Wodaabe people of Niger gives one a glimpse into how people lived communally for centuries.

Watching it, I wondered if the Wodaabe still live as shown in the documentary. There's bound to have been all sorts of challenges to their way of life, whether environmental or political.

Anyway, this is one documentary that I highly recommend. You won't regret having watched it and learned about the Wodaabe.

The first time i've heard about the WODAABE people was in the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE some years ago and i was fascinated by their marriage ritual.I've asked myself many times what are the origins of such strange and amazing ritual.As a HERZOG'S fan it was a great surprise to discover this documentary not so easy to find and a "little bit" forgot in the middle of HERZOG'S MASTERPIECES.The first scenes are absolutely fantastic.I was mesmerised!!!.Educative experience or simply watching for pleasure,this film is not a waste of time at all.It will show you how simple human society could be ,therefore how one could live with basic and traditional principles regardless of the daily challenges who lives in a hard environment would deal with.In my opinion this work is a lesson of life.

Wodaabe: Herdsmen of the Sun (1989)

*** (out of 4)

Very interesting documentary that follows the Wodaabe tribe of the Sahara region as they discuss various parts of their lives including a four year drought they had just gone through. The majority of the film focuses on a seven day beauty pageant where the women get to pick men to spend the night with and perhaps marry. I'm not sure how Herzog picks his material when it comes time to do a documentary but he's got a magic touch at finding interesting subjects. This is a very interesting documentary that shows us some people that many probably never even heard of and I have to wonder how many of the people in the film had ever seen a video camera before the German director showed up to film them. The film moves at a very fast pace and there's not a single slow moment even though a lot of the film is pictures only and doesn't feature too much narration. The narration is done by Herzog himself and that incredible voice works well with the film. There are several very cute moments including the morning after a couple has stayed the night together and Herzog is trying to question them but they are blushing so much and can't think of anything to say. It's moments like that that make this documentary worth seeing.

Werner Herzog's films are nothing if not a celebration of humanity in all its complexity. Many, whether fiction or non-fiction, also provide hard analysis in one fashion or another, or underhanded commentary. 'Herdsmen of the sun' is one of the filmmaker's most straightforward projects, as it is nothing more than an audiovisual record of a particular slice of the great diversity of culture around the world. This is, however, all that it needs to be. Interviews conducted through an interpreter provide some insight on the subjects' thoughts and feelings, more personal context for the ceremonies depicted herein, and background on the struggles of the Wodaabe. Herzog's own narration serenely informs of the meaning of the imagery we see before us, and one can only be awe-struck by how customs vary across the globe. Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein's cinematography, meanwhile, lovingly soaks in every detail that Herzog deems fit to present to us as a concise glimpse at this remote people, and Maximiliane Mainka's mindful editing shapes the picture into an easily digestible form. I can appreciate how documentaries don't appeal to all viewers, and some are easier to engage with than others. For those eager to learn, though, 'Herdsmen of the sun' is simply splendid.

Though surely only a small taste, the movie serves up a vibrant, flavorful portrait of the Wodaabe. We see their pastoral lifestyle, and the difficulty in maintaining it in light of shifting climates, government involvement, and the impact of the latter on the former. We see their marvelous, eye-catching clothes and makeup, especially those relative to the social rituals that lie at the heart of Herzog's picture. And for as outwardly different and subjectively strange as Wodaabe culture appears - just as with the people showcased in any of the filmmaker's productions, what becomes evident with the presentation is that all of humanity shares much in common with one another across time and space than it does not. Parallels can be drawn between any two societies, no matter how far-flung. And especially with that in mind, no matter how you look at it, 'Herdsmen of the sun' is wonderfully interesting, and altogether fascinating. Clocking in at a trim 50 minutes, this is worth more than the time it takes to watch.