The documentary, Dealing With A Dictator, aired on 12th February 2016 on CBC’s program ‘the Fifth Estate’ (CBC News). Produced and directed by Scott Anderson, the documentary was meant, in Scott’s view, to give investigative insight into the goings-on between the Eritrean government and Nevsun, a Canadian mining company. The film’s topic “Dealing With A Dictator” alludes to the county’s leadership, which does not exercise democracy and how it forces investor companies into business deals. Mr. Scott Anderson is of the belief that the Eritrean government made a sinister deal with Nevsun, and, therefore, Nevsun is a partner in crime in the country’s atrocities. Scott also believes that the dictatorship donates to the Al-Shabaab terror group, and this documentary is meant to prove his point of view.
Scott Anderson’s opinion is clear. Nevsun is propping up a brutal dictatorship and, by and large, one of the biggest terror groups in Africa. It is a bare-knuckled accusation that would need hard backing evidence to prove (CBC News). The film aims to give the viewer a journalistic report in support of its hard stance. Regarding the journalism code of ethics, the film also set out to be truthful, professional and impartial. However, that is the standard because Scott Anderson is expected still, to give an unbiased report. The director has two distinct arguments in which he needs to offer substantial grounds. The first argument is that Nevsun is an epitome of corporate greed in its underhand business contract with the Eritrean government. The second and more brazen argument is that Eritrea uses companies like Nevsun to conjure up resources for the Al-Shabaab.
The documentary starts by highlighting the immense power held by Nevsun, the Canadian mining industry juggernaut, and the iron fist ruler, Isaias Afewerki. Isaias Afewerki has been the Eritrean president since 1993. This is a deliberate juxtapositioning, which only starts to make sense as the film collates its dug up information on the two.
Dealing with a dictator starts with first-hand experience interviews of people who worked in a Canadian mine (CBC News). The mines, they say, were notorious for their forced labor. Going through the first interview, it is difficult not to relate the mines to a concentration camp. In its use of first-hand accounts, the film seeks to bring the viewer closer to the mines as they can get through the lenses of their workers. To any run of the mill audience, eye witness accounts can be very compelling, and that is why Scott sees the need to conduct the interviews to bolster his arguments. Any good documentary nowadays relies heavily on eyewitnesses ‘ground level’ accounts. The interviews also include Eritrean journalists and political commentators.
In addition, the documentary shows interviews with Nevsun representatives. The narrative describes Nevsun and the Eritrean government as being in a shotgun marriage (CBC News). This statement is backed by interviews with the Nevsun spokesperson where he admitted to having been forced by the government to giving it 40% of the business. Scott also uses reports to back up his investigation. For instance, he uses a human rights groups report published by the New York-based human right watch. In the report, Nevsun is accused of being oblivious to the use of forced labor in its mines, facilitated by Afewerki’s regime. The film also calls uses news clips of Eritreans in the diaspora protesting and showing their displeasure with Nevsun for fueling Isaias’ dictatorship. In building his case, Scott references the UN’s allegations. At some point, the UN alleged that the Eritrean government supports Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group that even Canada recognizes as a global threat.
Scott Anderson’s documentary is a powerful piece that brings to the light contentious issues that the world is grappling with today. For instance, it highlights the plight of workers in developing countries. The issue of corporate ethics is also a running theme throughout the narrative. Scott poses a question about whether it is morally ethical for a business that subscribes to the Canadian democratic ideals to do business with one of the longest running and brutal dictatorships in the world.
The film has a barrage of shortfalls, however, insightful it is. For example, it seems to rely a lot on vague and generalized hearsay. After watching the film objectively, one is left with more unfilled gaps than answers. For instance, Scott upholds some negative stereotypes held by western journalists by describing the East African region as a region run by brutal regimes (CBC News). Although this is an exaggeration, the film does not go deep to substantiate this statement. The broadcast also fails to conduct conclusive investigations into the claims that the Eritrean government funds the Al-Shabaab. Claims of nefarious treatment of workers in the Nevsun mines also go unsubstantiated. The government might be indeed a dictatorship in the absence of the Western world democratic policies, but Scott’s documentary skews its audiences’ thought process into believing that Nevsun has a hand in funding an egregious government.
The Fifth Estate documentary, Dealing With A Dictator, also erred in its over-reliance on eye-witness accounts. Eye witnesses are privy to personal bias and exaggerations. The world today has no place for dictatorships and Scott Anderson did well to highlight the Eritrean dictatorship, which is often forgotten. In this film, Scott did not quite achieve what he was going for because his mission was to prove beyond reproach that Nevsun, in conjunction with the Eritrean dictatorship, is enabling a reign of terror. Scott’s account may have truth but leaving out a lot of necessary substantiation risks watering down the larger pressing issues of corporate greed, dictatorship, human rights violation and terror group funding. The broadcast was a good piece but could do with more proof to its averment.
Works Cited
CBC News. "Nevsun In Eritrea: Dealing With A Dictator - The Fifth Estate". YouTube. N.p.,
2016. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
