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16mm film: 'The Angry Earth', 1976

 File
MS. Oxfam COM/5/4/56
Held in our offsite storage facility

This film was shot in Guatemala shortly after the 1976 earthquake, and focuses on one family - a farmer, his wife and their seven children - in Chimaltenango, San Martin, and shows how Oxfam helped them before and after the earthquake. The farmer's story in his own words is heard throughout the film. 2% of the population owns 62% of the land, while small farmers work the poorest quality land, and hill slopes are being degraded because trees are cut down for firewood. An Oxfam and World Neighbors project supports community volunteers teaching modern agricultural techniques, good hygiene, and nutrition. Oxfam supplied farming tools at a distribution centre at Tecpan, and bought grain from a farmers' cooperative to sell back at a fair price to poor people. Oxfam also bought zinc sheets from El Salvador for poor people to buy cheaply in order to rebuild their homes. Oxfam and World Neighbors work closely with local people, teaching them how to build safer houses. The film features Reggie Norton, Oxfam Field Director. Edited and produced by Geoffrey Petts, and photographed by Geoffrey Petts and Peter Briggs, Oxfam Regional Organisers.

Dates

  • Creation: 1976

Extent

1 reel

Language of Materials

  • English

Conditions Governing Access

Closed.

Shelfmark

MS. Oxfam COM/5/4/56

Existence and Location of Copies

A copy of this film is held at the British Film Institute.

Creator

  • From the Collection: Oxfam GB (Organisation)

Repository Details

Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository

Contact:
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom