WATCH THIS! Virunga: Save Africa’s Great Lakes!

By Tsadiqwah Scarville | December 18, 2014 | Entertainment

“Brooklyn Bound” contributor Tsadiqwah Scarville gets schooled on Africa’s great lakes.

The holidays are upon us, which means vacation time — plenty of time to watch TV! Because it’s cool to be the smartest Diva in the room, we say check out Netflix’s new documentary Virunga, it’s phenomenal!

This is a tragic yet powerful film about Virunga National Park in the Eastern Congo, and it has a positive message at its core. Director Orlando Von Einsiedel keeps you involved moment to moment as you get an investigative look at the serious issues effecting Africa’s Great Lakes region.

What may seem like a war film at first sight, publicizing militant rebels and violent conflict in Congo, instead tells a heart-wrenching story from a more inspirational angle. Von Einsiedel’s coherent directing style elaborates on the revival of a national treasure through compassionate park rangers who selflessly care for orphaned, endangered mountain gorillas. These affectionate, human-like species, much like the rich oil of the land, both represent the everyday fight between the people who look conquer the African continent, and those who call it home.

Shooting over 300 hours of footage and using over a dozen different cameras, Von Einsiedel described this real-life campaign as ΓÇ£a story not a plea,” at an advanced screening of Virunga in New York City.

I laughed and cried while watching this film. It was the best documentary I’ve seen in a long time; deeply moving, beautiful and disturbing,and scary yet hopeful all at once.