The Reality TV Virus Kills Native Peruvian Indians
MARK And Olly is must-see TV for anyone interested in witnessing tribes on the brink of destruction.
Mark Anstice and Olly Steeds, two British presenters, would live with a remote tribe in
And get it while you can because reality TV film company Cicada Films, the power behind such documentaries as “Ancient Plastic Surgery” and “Fat Fiancées,” strands accused of spreading disease among the indigenous populations. Four of that tribe are dead and others are sick
Whereas once native Indian tribes received beads and smallpox in exchange for being exploited, they now get fifteen minutes of TV fame and MRSA.
The company says it behaved responsibly and did not spread any disease.
Says Cicada: “We emphatically deny being responsible for the introduction of the reported respiratory diseases, since when we arrived we found local people already ill with symptoms and signs of respiratory disease in the settlements we visited. We only visited settlements where we were invited beforehand. We believe it more likely that the already existing illness could have been introduced by any group of visitors, who circulate constantly.”
But the regional Indian rights organisation Fenama, government officials
As the Guardian notes: “Fenama said the film team travelled far upriver and provoked an epidemic. It accused them of threatening the lives of Indians and called for Cicada Films to be barred from entering the area again.”
Such is the plague of reality TV…
Posted: 27th, March 2008 | In: Broadsheets, TV & Radio Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
