Study Guide
Grades 6-12
Directed by Adrian Cowell
Produced by Adrian Cowell, Nomad Films Ltd
DVD Purchase $79, Rent $45
US Release Date: 1991
Copyright Date: 1991
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-457-5
VHS ISBN: 1-56029-353-5
Subjects
Agriculture
Brazil
Children's Films
Developing World
Environment
Forests and Rainforests
South America
The Colonists
Colonists invading the rainforest.
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The colonists who invaded the rainforest in huge numbers in the 1980's are mostly small farmers forced off their land in other parts of Brazil by increasing mechanization and the economics of cash cropping for export. When they reached the state of Rondonia they were given roughly 175 acres of virgin forest free of charge on condition that they cleared the land. This led to deforestation on a massive scale. But the tragic irony is that once the trees have been cut down the soil is so poor that many colonists were forced to abandon their land after just a couple of years.
Other titles in the series are:
The Rainforest - The mechanics of a rainforest.
The Development Road - The road to rainforest destruction.
The Indians - The displaced Indian tribes of the Amazon rainforest.
The Rubber Tappers - Rubber tappers live sustainable lifestyle.
The Politicians - Politicians plunder the Amazon rainforest.
Reviews
"A sobering true story of human rapacity, The Decade of Destruction: The Indians is highly recommended for classroom viewing, along with the rest of The Decade of Destruction series: The Rainforest, The Colonists, The Development Road, The Rubber Tappers, and The Politicians."
The Midwest Book Review
"The tragedy is examined globally...in an unambiguous and intelligent manner."
Children's Video Review Newsletter
"Produced almost two decades ago, the issues in The Colonists by Adrian Cowell are as pertinent today as they were in the 1980s...Shot on location in real-time, and engagement with families caught in a tragic cycle of poverty, the production is an effective teaching tool at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Topics range from land husbandry (in non-western settings) to the need for holistic settlement and sustainable ag