Since the turn of the century, the world has watched in helpless horror as forces beyond our control have destroyed priceless cultural heritage. The Bamiyan Buddhas. Palmyra. Nimrud. Surely, if another such disaster was on its way, and we had the power to stop it, the global community would step in to prevent more horror. Right?Maybe not.
There's a remarkable place in the Afghan hills, near the border with Pakistan, called Mes Aynak. It was a cosmopolitan centre of trade and pilgrimage along the Silk Route ... like Petra or Palmyra ... run by Buddhist monks made fabulously wealthy by the vast deposits of copper below the city. The site dates back some 5000 years, reached the height of its prosperity between 600AD and 800AD, and covers an area roughly the same as Pompeii. It's barely been excavated, however, since it was lost to history for about 1000 years, then lost to the political misfortunes of Afghanistan since its rediscovery in the late 1970s.
Sadly, the copper that gave birth to the place may now be its executioner. A Chinese company owns the mining rights and plans to destroy Mes Aynak to cash in on a more lucrative jackpot than human history. And that's just the start of the place's problems. There's government corruption, a chronic lack of resources, infighting amongst foreign archeologists parachuting in and the Taliban threatening everyone with death and destruction. It's all captured with gripping drama by documentary filmmaker Brent E. Huffman in Saving Mes Aynak.
His ability to cram this into a film of just an hour is a marvel of storytelling. The fact that he shot all the footage himself, without a crew or protective security, over visits from 2011 to 2014, is a marvel of either bravery or foolhardy bravado. I'm not sure which. But I'm positive that makes him a worthy professor of documentary film making at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.
The Medill link is how I ended up at a private screening of, and discussion about, his film last night. (Our Northwestern Alumni Club has matured nicely in recent years, and there are a few young Medill stars working at CNBC and CNN who lean towards journalistically-flavoured events.) It reminded me of the soaring idealism of the whole journalistic profession in my post-Watergate youth, and how I went off to university quite sure my writing would do something noble for the world. I'm probably past that, but I can use it to encourage you to see this film ... which you can stream or download from channels listed here.
Watch Saving Mes Aynak if you love art history. The fusion of styles they're unearthing here ... Western Classical, Near Eastern, Chinese ... looks like nothing I've ever seen before. It's a beguiling reminder that Alexander the Great stranded thousands of Greeks here, and legend has them merging into the culture. Watching these temples and statues emerge from the dust is like discovering what became of that legendary world.
Watch it if you're interested in the growth of China and its partnerships in the developing world. Here's a textbook example: buying rights for what seems like a fortune to the local economy, but is a small fraction of the profit they'll make; promising jobs but delivering only menial ones, while Chinese expats do the professional roles. Seeming to do it all with admirably efficiency; Huffman said that since his filming they've even done a deal with the Taliban to get them on side.
Watch it if you live in a G7 economy, get frustrated with government and wonder what the hell those idiots are doing with your taxes. The Afghan government of this film is a textbook example of corruption. Both the Chinese investment and the international funds to support the Mes Aynak excavations never trickle down, while leaders build ever bigger mansions within their walled complexes. Not only does national heritage get tossed aside, but mining permissions get made without any consideration for the environmental effects likely to impact hundreds of villages in the area. Dignified, hard-working locals not only have no recourse for protection, but say with bitter resignation that if they complain, they'll be categorised as terrorists and enemies of the state. Most of us are blessed to live with government infrastructure built to prevent things like this. This comparison shows us why we should be thankful, and treasure it.
Watch it if you need a story of the triumph of the human spirit. Afghan archaeologist Qadir Temori is a hero worthy of great fiction. Soulful and determined. Risking his life daily for a greater cause. The little guy caught in a crushing system but fighting on. The underdog, reminding us all of the wonders of his culture and breaking crude stereotypes. (One bit of good news: Huffman says he's been promoted since the film's release and is now a much-respected authority.) If you loved The Monuments Men ... the book, not the tragic film adaptation ... you'll love this documentary. It's the same battle to preserve the soul of mankind, shifted to one of the cradles of our civilisation.
Watch it. Then spread the news on social media. Tag organisations that would proactively care about saving the site ... or at least who want to avoid the bad PR that would come with its destruction.
Huffman's film has been at the heart of a steady, heartfelt advocacy campaign. Almost four years on, Mes Aynak still stands. No doubt partially because of this film. But the fact that copper prices have been unusually low is probably a factor, too. As those prices start to rise ... as they are doing ... Chinese patience will stretch.
Whether it's preserved in situ ... or simply bought enough time for experts to find, understand and rescue its treasures ... saving Mes Aynak gives the world a chance to do penance for Bamiyan, Palmyra and Nimrud. I hope we take it.
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