The Children of Series

01/01/1986

About

The Children of... series examined the lives of children in a variety of different cultures.

Children of Brunei

Zainudin and Bunta live with their family of 26 people in a small house perched above the river, one of a whole village of such houses. Although Zainudin is only 12 years old he works regularly with his father in the fish market selling the prawns that they buy from local fishermen. His sister Bunta still attends the local religious school, wearing her veil and practising her Koran reading. The film shows the life of the two children, particularly emphasising the Muslim observance of religious ceremonies. Brunei is one of the last remaining monarchies in the world and Bunta is seen with her friends attending a royal wedding. At the same time Zainudin achieves one of his ambitions: a trip out on his uncle's fishing boat to see whether he would prefer to be a fisherman rather than a fish seller.

Children of Indonesia

Onib lives in a small Sundanese village in West Java. He's 12 years old. The film shows Onib's daily life and that of his family. Aspects of life such as schooling, food gathering and preparation, children's games and the influence of the Muslim religion are covered in the film. Running throughout is the theme of preparation for the village ram fight. Onib's father owns a fighting ram and Onib is helping to prepare it for the big day. The film ends at the village gathering where food vendors and puppeteers precede the main event - the ram fighting.

Children of Samoa

Ilasa and Mose live in the small village of Matautu in the Pacific Islands of Western Samoa. This film shows their lifestyle and that of their family. The children are seen at the small village school enjoying the village games and playing their part in the important task of gathering food for the village. The cooperative nature of the extended family concept as it exists in Samoa is clearly seen. Aimed at the 8-11 year old age group, the programme is intended to provoke discussion amongst viewers about the different lifestyles of other children.