DocuWeeks NY 2009

This film thoroughly entranced me. It held me captive and I was unable to take my eyes from the screen, a viscerally immersing experience of true storytelling. It is also an extremely important and urgent film, clearly for anyone interested in the nuances of development and conflict resolution, but particularly for members of the armed services as well as policy makers who all too often easily slap labels or write up white papers on people and issues that they may only barely understand, if not completely misconstrue, from the safety and security of their headquarters, in so-called 'intelligence reports' or worse, from the mainstream mass media. The storytellers are able to capture the tension that can too often be casually described as "a very complex situation in Nigeria" and give it meaning, a human experience. With the recent establishment of US AFRICOM along with more and more attention now focused on the geopolitics and resource control within Africa, documentaries like "Sweet Crude" are extremely important. Not only because they highlight the challenges of working in areas like the Niger Delta, but more importantly because they show the human face behind such labels as "terrorist" and "freedom fighters" as well as the evolution of violent protest. It is not simply about the human suffering and ecological destruction taking place, but about the dignity and respect that local populations demand and deserve. If we as Americans are truly interested in embodying the highest values and proclaiming a greater truth to the world, it is incumbent upon us to take an honest accounting of our collective and historical actions.