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This film really scared and saddened me to see how justice is being achieved in the different parts of the world. Punishment is not always with the best discretion and in different cases it depends on the values of that society. For a Canadian citizen maybe stealing a hen or a duck would not lead to a crucial or life threatening sentence, yet, for this community it may have a different meaning. therefore, it is hard to judge whether or not they are reacting to this in a just or unjust way, punishment can be much more crucial comparing to their standards and values but definitely not to an extent of physical abuse.
Impressed with the old man bringing up "Human RIghts" in the middle of all that. Hope it didn't end tragically.
I agree with the sentiments expressed above, re: comparing Western sensibilities of justice with those in Cameroon. Personally, however, I am extremely grateful for the presence of the older gentleman who counseled no violence against the boy. No doubt, he saved the boy's life.
I was actually surprised it didn't end "too" badly (at least for the part we get to see)...
Impunity reigns. But who is it to blame? Among misery the ones who have nothing eventually look on those who have a little more, despite being as poor. Violence and criminality raises because there's no way out for these people. When you have nothing, when you see your family starving what should you do? As for the ones who were robbed, afterall they managed to have little through much hard work. Therefore their resentment and anger. What do human rights mean to them in this situation? You will tell them you cannot get revenge because it violates human rights? That's as abstract as stating "everyone should have acess to education" when in reality that does not happen. This is why chiefs pay an important role by setting a good example. It's the only symbol of justice for these people.
But without provision of education and employment fighting violence and impunity will remain difficult to achieve.
that is a sad truth. it happens else where and it comes in different forms. we may not be living as how these tribe does but justice is somewhat the same. oftentimes, the poor and powerless gets the strongest and hardest punishment even with just a little crime. sadly the rich, powerful and influential people gets away even with the gravest and heinous crime we cant imagine a man can be capable of doing. they say justice is blind. but people don't really get what it means. justice is blind because it is unbiased, impartial, and fair. it sees no gold nor power, no rich nor poor. it serves punishment that is rightful for the wrongful act one has committed: a life is not worth $9 or bunch of chickens. . heinous crimes such as those committed by murderers and rapist should not be punished in a hospital or in a very comfortable room with television, internet access, and served with a very nice and tasty meal while the victims starve and sometimes beg for food. justice should be fair.
speaking of justice, i hope and pray that those responsible for the massacre of 57 people including 30 journalist at Maguindanao, Philippines (the country where i was born) be punished with what they deserve based on the crime they committed. It is sad that when a poor or "ordinary" person is arrested, the government don't care with what ever medical condition the person have, and is thrown straight to jail. But when it is the rich, famous, and influential is arrested, they are usually confined in a comfortable hospital room even for minor medical conditions that hospitalization is not warranted. sad truth...
Even 'civilized' nations have different opinions on punishment, take the death penalty for instance. It's all about perspective. There is no universal truth, no universal one best way. It's anj evolution of cultural habits and law. The more people will interact interculturally, the more opinions will be exchanged and discussion started. It;s a shame however that some countries (...) dont want to join the international platforms of Justice like the International Court in The Hague
stating it's politically biassed. Justice therefor will always forced upon a group by power, be it good or bad power, be it local or international power. Hence there is no universal justice.
I heard one man ask about Christmas ...
The boy is lucky that he still has his hands.... if it was a Muslim community he may not.
An acquaintance of mine who is a Harvard graduate in Islamaic studies stated that this, cutting off of the hands, was appropriate for theft.
Personally, I would rather see him with a few bruises than either of the apparent alternatives.
I understand where it comes from. A chicken might mean the line between starvation and survival for some. Also, when surrounded by corruption people might feel it is the only way to achieve real justice. But it is scary b/c the mob does not listen for real facts, does not ask questions and listen to the answers, it reacts. An innocent person could easily be condemned and a guilty person given an extreme sentence. I was impressed by the gentleman who stepped in and tried to stop things from the very beginning – there is hope in that and despair in that it was a youth who wanted to kill him.
Africanism has always shown that Man should only rip from what he has sown. This either from the positive to the negative side. In my own short words punisment is impertive and should not be taken with laxity and the society should decide and their should be nothing like immunity clause it should be meet out to all a people.
I find the story very ambiguous. One the one hand, it shows that there is such a thing as "instant justice" with quite extreme punishment for something that the "developed world" would consider a small crime. As to that, there is of course the cultural factor that in a community of poor people it is absolutely essential that people do not steal from each other. Possibly (I cannot judge if this is actually the case) in a small community this harshness might be compensated for by the fact that the system is so effective that stealing hardly ever occurs, or that people know who are the poorest and help them perhaps in other ways. I expect this system would function less "satisfactorily" if communities become bigger and more complex (as they probably already have). Obviously, though, the "system" was not applied here – maybe because of the camera?- and that's where the ambiguity comes in: the thief was "questioned", so apparently there is a notion that there should be evidence, and a confession, in short a mini-trial, to justify the punishment. Of course, the film vividly illustrates why the notion of "fair trial" is such a big deal !! I think the good point is that reason prevailed over anger, and the offender was led to the chief (more procedural guarantees- we may hope). Last note though: I have seen cases being tried in European courts, and that did not satisfy my sense of justice any better!
Finally: I think the remark that the phenomenon is exacerbated by a corrupt judicial system is very much to the point: this is perhaps the real cultural aspect but not at all limited to Africa! If justice is not served by the judicial system, people will take matters in their own hands ANYWHERE.
In the end, common sense prevailed. I would have liked to see the chief's reaction and punishment. In a region where leadership and civil society are sometimes hard to find, are powerful, elected regional chiefs the answer?
How we humans more often than not think that we are right when we are wrong. If it's indeed true that this young man was guilty of theft, then he was morally wrong. However any violation of the boys human right would be, at least, equally wrong. Let's remember that justice and mercy are to go hand in hand.
sorry 4 the pitty boy but those kind of jugdments are normal in african society in my home town in zanzibar alot of people are bitten up for stealling shoes in mosques after prayers we see that as normal coz when theifs are taken to police they are bribed and let free so mob justice is the saviour in corrupt societies like africa
I was really distressed by what I saw. I remember that when I was growing up in Nigeria this kind of thing happened a lot. I saw a man get hit with a machete in Lagos and that was more than enough violence for a lifetime...
What I found so interesting about this video is that no one suggested for the fellow to simply give back the chickens. If stealing the chickens was a life or death "my family won't eat unless I keep all the chickens I have" situation, isn't the best thing to do is simply get the chickens back? No, instead, they wanted to beat the man (and I'm guessing the chickens would have gotten crushed/killed in that scuffle). This was about making an example of him in an attempt to protect themselves from future violations (a seemingly impossible task or the youngster wouldn't have stolen to begin with). They could make him work off his debt, they could simply run him out of town, but instead they take his clothes to humiliate and want to take out their frustration (valid clearly, considering their living conditions) on him. When our taste for retribution and revenge outweighs the sensibility of survival, violence is but a moment away. The man who said "you have no right to kill someone" had it right and I am grateful his voice is out there. He's the hero of this story.
It's sad that the young wanted to beat him and the older man was the one trying to defend the boy's human rights. His stand was truly impressing, however.
i felt so sad especially when he said he wanted to use the money to get some clothes for christmas.
This is a future leader somebody with such great potentials but is wasting away due to poverty nd greed of their leaders.
This teenager should be in school but because they cannot afford the school he need to fend for him self thus steal those ill looking chicken.
I am not saying what he did was right but who would want to lose his life over $9.00 and still go ahead to steal. it was just out of sheer desperation & poverty.
Instant Justice must be put to an end in Africa because we might not know which of our loved ones would be lost to mob action through a mistaken identity.
Hello,
This clip is from a documentary by Jean Marie Teno part of much longer analysis of this aspect of my society. As a child I watched people getting burned for stealing so I need not imagine how this could have ended. For those interested in knowing what happens after he is taken to the chief, please visit JM Tenos' website at http://www.jmteno.us/ and this Cameroonian blog on his work http://www.cameroonechoes.com/cameroonechoes/2010/01/echo-lense-focus-mr-jean-marie-teno-pioneering-cameroonian-cinema.html#more
Growing up as child this was hard for me to understand and subsequently forming an opinion for or against such behavior was difficult even in adult hood. This developed as a result of a rampant increase in violent arm robbers. Who grew so bold as to inform people in advance of when they would rob their businesses and residences and make good on their threat. With the law doing nothing to abate the situation due to their co-operation with the arm robbers or general nonchalant attitude of the police task force, the population decided to take matters into their own hands. As a result, neighbor hoods organized night watches and whenever they caught the arm robbers, they would set them on fire with the idea that the arm robbers would have killed them if they had the chance. In all honesty, in the town I grew up, this actually resulted in a drastic deep in the level of crime. However, I became confused when this level of punishment started being expanded to include petit thefts like that in this video instead of hard core criminals. The line has become so blurred, it suffices for someone to point you out in crowd as being a thief and your life in over.
Extreme poverty breeds different vices, and sadly this is one of them. This behavior is high in the poorest parts while in other areas of the Country, it's a foreign reality. There is general mistrust in the forces of law and order who use their authority most often to bully the population. There are instances where thieves are let go if they can pay them off. As long as this mistrust continues I don't think there would be an end to vigilante IN-justice.
I