Aftermath: The Second Flood (film screening and panel discussion)

This session will host a screening of a documentary AFTERMATH: The Second Flood, that narrates the story of an indigenous community inhabiting the Nicobar Islands after being devastated by the 2004 Tsunami. The Nicobar... [ view full abstract ]

This session will host a screening of a documentary AFTERMATH: The Second Flood, that narrates the story of an indigenous community inhabiting the Nicobar Islands after being devastated by the 2004 Tsunami. The Nicobar Islands, a remote archipelago in the Bay of Bengal (India), is home to rich cultural-and-biological diversity. Hence, entry to these islands has been highly restricted since 1956. The documentary, which had its world premiere in Vienna, has generated a fair bit of attention, focuses on the controversial impact of development and humanitarian aid in light of increasing extreme weather events happening globally. Instead of succumbing to the pressures of globalization and international aid, the Nicobarese community in the aftermath search for a sustainable future to protect their culture and natural resources from "the second flood” (that is aid and economic interests). The film asks two questions: Why is aid so dysfunctional, and how can science help people in crisis? Produced over 7 years, the documentary is a joint production between Austrian, German, Irish and Indian film companies. It has been screened at a number of film festivals across the world, and at university events in Europe and North America, and positively reviewed in the journal NATURE. Following the screening, the session will host a panel discussion of prominent scholars, and a spokesperson of the Nicobarese community, on the role communities, and that of science, in securing sustainable livelihoods in the wake of global forces.

Preview of the film: https://vimeo.com/120353690

Link to review in NATURE: https://www.nature.com/articles/519032a