Blog Post 4

If stories and memory are intimately connected to a sense of place, how does this apply to what happens in the film?

The memories we create are deeply linked to the stories we share and they help shape the person we are. It may take a lifetime to become the person you are and through this development you likely will find a sense of place. Most of us can think of a place that we have memories about that make it deeply special to us. For some within the Democratic Republic of Congo, that place is Virunga National park.

The people that live near Virunga National park have deep ties to it and a deep respect for it. To them, it’s not just some park sitting on top of a pocket of oil. To them, it’s a sense of place; a way of life. Because most of their lives are built around it, seeing it destroyed would crush them. We see this depicted in the film by those who live near it protecting it. Those who live in other areas of the country are easily bribed in order to allow the oil companies to move in and destroy the park.

The central thing that connects these people to this sense of place is the mountain gorillas. The mountain gorillas are a symbol to the survival of the park for them. You could even say they are the heart of the park. Unfortunately, the outsiders who want in see this and will slaughter them or anyone who gets in their way. Virunga is truly a special place, I hope for the citizens sake that they survive the corruption.