Savior of the Kaja-Kaja
Documentary Short | 23 min | 2017 | HD
The Kaja Kaja were once infamous for their cannibalism and sexual fertility rituals. Around 1910, a deadly venereal disease ravaged their region of West Papua. A Belgian missionary, Petrus Vertenten, ordered vaccinations and saved these people from extinction. He translated their language into Dutch and shared a notion of "civilized" life with them. For 15 years the priest from Belgium took the Kaja Kaja under his wing. Today, Vertenten is still revered in the small village of Bibikem, Papua.
Savior of the Kaja-Kaja is about tribal chieftain Leo who faces modernization, decline, and corruption as he tries to keep his traditions alive. Filmmaker Jimmy returns to the village of Bibikem after five years to check in on Leo.