Pelargonium, Trading Traditional Knowledge is a 26-minute documentary looking at the trade of a medicinal plant and examining the practice and concept of 'biopiracy'.
You can watch it here.
THE STORY
A South African medicinal plant has helped a German pharmaceutical company make millions in Europe, whilst local harvesters still struggle to make ends meet.
Producers
Georgina André & Victoria Baux
Editors
Louise Callaghan, Jamie Riordan, Victoria Baux
Colorist
Louise Callaghan
Sound Mixer
Isobel Foy
Fixer/translator (Eastern Cape)
Vukile Pokwana
Graphic Designer (film)
Adrian Smith
Graphic Designer (Press)
Jennifer André
Narrator (Engl)
Denver Isaac
Narrator (Fr)
Simon Contraires
Mariam Mayet founded the African Centre for Biosafety in Johannesburg. She is deeply committed to defending biodiversity-related issues and has been closely following-up with the exploitation of the Pelargonium Sidoides plant in South Africa and Lesotho.
Ulrich Feiter runs Parceval, Schwabe's main supplier of Pelargonium roots in South Africa.
Schwabe is a pharmaceutical company based in Germany. It has been selling the Umckaloabo medicine, on the market since 1987. It was accused of biopiracy, which ultimately led to 3 of its 5 Pelargonium-related patents being revoked. Schwabe is currently applying for a bioprospecting permit in South Africa.
You can watch it here.
THE STORY
A South African medicinal plant has helped a German pharmaceutical company make millions in Europe, whilst local harvesters still struggle to make ends meet.
As the ethics of big pharmaceutical companies are increasingly in the spotlight and international agreements seeking to protect traditional knowledge and technologies are strengthened, biopiracy is becoming an important subject on the global agenda. The word describes the way in which corporations claim ownership or take unfair advantage of the genetic resources and traditional knwoledge of developing countries.
This film tells the story of an instance of biopiracy involving a South African plant called pelargonium sidoides and a German pharmaceutical company.
TRAILER
CREDITSThis film tells the story of an instance of biopiracy involving a South African plant called pelargonium sidoides and a German pharmaceutical company.
TRAILER
Producers
Georgina André & Victoria Baux
Editors
Louise Callaghan, Jamie Riordan, Victoria Baux
Colorist
Louise Callaghan
Sound Mixer
Isobel Foy
Fixer/translator (Eastern Cape)
Vukile Pokwana
Graphic Designer (film)
Adrian Smith
Graphic Designer (Press)
Jennifer André
Narrator (Engl)
Denver Isaac
Narrator (Fr)
Simon Contraires
CHARACTERS
Nomthunzi Api is a spokesperson for the Alice Community. She alerted the scientific and activist community of the overexploitation process of the Pelargonium root.
Mariam Mayet founded the African Centre for Biosafety in Johannesburg. She is deeply committed to defending biodiversity-related issues and has been closely following-up with the exploitation of the Pelargonium Sidoides plant in South Africa and Lesotho.
Ulrich Feiter runs Parceval, Schwabe's main supplier of Pelargonium roots in South Africa.
Schwabe is a pharmaceutical company based in Germany. It has been selling the Umckaloabo medicine, on the market since 1987. It was accused of biopiracy, which ultimately led to 3 of its 5 Pelargonium-related patents being revoked. Schwabe is currently applying for a bioprospecting permit in South Africa.
