Herzog creates a stunning portrait of the nomadic Wodaabe tribe in the southern Sahara during their annual Gerewol celebration. The director wastes no time in blurring what is foreign and confusing in his observations, stressing the distinctive identity of an ancient tribe of the Fulani ethnic group.

The view of the desert is reminiscent of Herzog’s FATA MORGANA. This time, however, the filmmaker does not focus on images of doomsday, but on the threat to an ancient culture spanning back to the Stone Age with its rock paintings, which he then very disturbingly juxtaposes with European music. Gounod’s ”Ave Maria” is played during one of the first sequences so as to created the impression that the Wodaabe are singing the hymn.

Herzog observes foreign rituals, starting with the act of greeting among the men. One of them talks about the origins of the tribe, of hardship, hunger and drought, which especially afflicted the Sahel region in the 1980s and seriously endangered the livestock. When the rain finally came, the grass grew, but the locusts came as well. The everyday existence of this tribe has always been based on survival.

The men adorn and paint themselves for the annual celebration, looking like hermaphrodites during the beauty contest that follows. The women watch the men dance and then make their choice. They spend a few nights in the bush with the one they have chosen. Some of the women “have often been married”. One woman refuses – none of the men appeal to her.

Herzog also observes the threats to the nomads: a uranium mine in Niger, a refugee camp and members of the tribe looking for salvageable items in an endless, gigantic landfill. The Wodaabe and Tuareg people are trapped there without any real chance of returning to the bush.

The film then returns to the celebration. Herzog searches out the social, community building aspect of the celebration without which the tribe would most likely have long ago ceased to exist. He observes the wedding of two children arranged by their parents, which is only first consummated after puberty. Three hundred families take part in the celebrations. And again the men dance for the women. The whiteness of their teeth and eyes is the main selection criteria. The women once again select their temporary partners. Later, the Wodaabe move on, with their livestock in tow. Cars drive over a bridge; and, as if from another era, a camel is among them.

Herzog proves himself an attentive, occasionally amazed observer and narrator, making no comments. Instead, he reveals his position through the camera lens and cuts in the film, and perhaps also through small interventions in the newly discovered reality. In this way, he succeeds in going far beyond the usual ethnographic documentary. And it is through his fascination that the dignity of all foreigners remains untouched.

Production Country

France (FR), Germany (DE)

Production Period

1988/1989

Production Year

1989

color

color

Aspect Ratio

1:1,37

Duration

Medium-Length Film (31 to 60 Min.)

Type

Documentary

Genre

Biography / Portrait

Topic

Relationship / Family, Film History

Scope of Rights

Nichtexklusive nichtkommerzielle öffentliche Aufführung (nonexclusive, noncommercial public screening),Keine TV-Rechte (no TV rights)

Notes to the Licence

Hinweis: Vorführungen der Werner Herzog Filme außerhalb der Goethe-Institute im Ausland, z.B. in herkömmlichen Kinos, müssen im Vorfeld mit der Werner Herzog Stiftung abgesprochen werden.

Licence Period

14.12.2026

Permanently Restricted Areas

Germany (DE), Austria (AT), Switzerland (CH), Liechtenstein (LI), Alto Adige, Belgium (BE), Luxembourg (LU), Italy (IT)

Available Media

DVD, DCP, Blu-ray Disc

Original Version

English (en)

DVD

Subtitles

English (en), French (fr), Spanish (es), Italian (it), Portuguese (Brazil) (pt), Russian (ru), Chinese (zh), Arabic (ar), German (de), Turkish (tr)

DCP

Subtitles

English (en), French (fr), Spanish (es), Italian (it), Portuguese (Brazil) (pt), Russian (ru), Chinese (zh), Arabic (ar), German (de), Turkish (tr)

Blu-ray Disc

Subtitles

English (en), French (fr), Spanish (es), Italian (it), Portuguese (Brazil) (pt), Russian (ru), Chinese (zh), Arabic (ar), German (de), Turkish (tr)

• Wodaabe, les bergers du soleil
• Werner Herzog