Slave Island

Jeremy Kewuan, Jimmy Hendrickx Belgium 2024 94 min.

Age-old cultural norms on the Indonesian island of Sumba lead to the expectation that the Ata community must work as slaves for the Maramba people. Activist Jeremy Kewuan sets out to combat this slave trade and meets an enslaved eight-year-old girl. With the help of a woman who was once forced into slavery herself, Kewuan fights against the system.

A cinematic documentary that unravels present-day slave trade on Sumba island in Indonesia. According to local tradition, the Ata people must serve the Maramba masters for generations and, upon death, be buried with their masters. While investigating a case of human trafficking, local activist Jeremy Kewuan meets a Maramba shaman who has strong belief in his ancestral right to slave ownership. Amidst this, an 8-year-old enslaved girl comes into view. With the help of a former slave, and through a myriad of confrontations with slave owners, chieftains, and his own beliefs, Jeremy eventually secures freedom for the young slave girl. Despite the fact that the Queen of the island still owns hundreds of slaves that await emancipation, it still is a victory - albeit a small one - in the ongoing fight against abuse. 

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