Darwin’s Nightmare

In the 1960s, a species of fish called the Luciperca was introduced experimentally into Lake Victoria, almost causing the extinction of the other local fish; it multiplied so rapidly that it has been exported all over the world. Planes from the former Soviet Union land there every day, obtaining fish in exchange for arms for the numerous civil wars on the African continent. A food and arms multinational has created a solid global alliance there: the lake feeds two million people but nevertheless the local inhabitants suffer from starvation, while AIDS strikes nearly every single family. The documentary was presented at Venice in 2004 and won the European Cinemas Prize; it includes both a strong accusation and a frightening metaphor of the globalization side effects.