A still from Burkina Faso 8600 km.
The new documentary Burkina Faso 8600 km by Vera Sölvadóttir and Thorsteinn J. premiered last Thursday on the latter’s website and will be available there until next Sunday. Film depicts the journey of an Icelandic couple who buy two used SUV’s in Iceland and head to the African country Burkina Faso with the aim of selling one of the SUV’s and use the money to fund an educational program run by the ABC Children’s Aid. ICN spoke briefly with the directors.
Vera Sölvadóttir.
ICN: How did this project come about?
Thorsteinn J.: I was told about these people and their plan. I was immediately interested and asked Vera to join me on this project. She said yes and we flew to Senegal and entered the journey from there. For me it’s not just a travellogue but a film about solutions, a personal view on what we in Iceland call “kreppa” or crisis. It’s about what you can contribute to the world as an individual in spite of your own dire situation.
ICN: What kind of experience did you have?
Vera: It certainly was a personal awakening. As soon as we landed in Senegal, we entered another world with a different rythm. We just went with the flow and headed for the unknown, realising we had no control. It certainly put our lives in a new context.
ICN: In the film you draw comparisons with the current crisis in Iceland and the situation in the very poor Burkina Faso. In what way do those countries connect?
Thorsteinn J.
Thorsteinn J.: There’s this Brasilian guy, Paulo, who’s a part of the story. He makes some great observations about the relativity of the situations. A “kreppa” in Iceland and a “kreppa” in Burkina Faso are two very different things.
Vera: In Iceland we have a “kreppa” because of the economic situation. There’s no “kreppa” in Burkina Faso. Yet hardly anyone owns anything. The “kreppa” exists in our minds. I don’t want to be condescending, of course it’s very sad to see people to through financial hardship as we’re witnessing now in Iceland. Comparing the two countries is difficult, but it’s important to try and see things in a different context. Maybe this is the point of the film; it’s about a state of mind and a certain view on life.
