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Under the Sun: Guardians of the Flutes

on BBC Two England

"If not a film for the faint-hearted or the prudish," says producer Paul Reddish of this documentary about the extraordinary sexual traditions of the Sambia people of Papua New Guinea. Extraordinary - and repugnant - to the civilised world, because here is a society where boys as young as 7 years old are taken away from their mothers and Introduced to sexual practices by their (male) warrior elders.
"The men fear women, they think they have a polluting influence and that they weaken them," says Reddish. "They do marry eventually but they live a separate, bisexual existence until they father a child, which is the ultimate proof of their masculinity."
The film follows the Sambians' initiation ritual, a closely-guarded secret being conducted probably for the last time. "This is a classic piece of sexual anthropology, conveying the integrity of a unique way of life, "says Reddish.

Contributors

Producer:
Paul Reddish
Editor:
Alan Bookbinder

BBC Two England

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