Tsetse Film P. A. Buxton Part One

Reel one of this colonial era film comprises of a series of sequences taken from rural areas of East Africa (hand held camera, amateur in nature) which are affected by tsetse flies. Intertitles indicate place (colonial era names with modern day names in brackets) and species of tsetse present. G. Morsitans species' 'unusual' haunt is the Okovango swamp, Ngamiland (North West Botswana). Further aerial shots of more sites of G. Morsitans are taken in the rocky hills of the Nuba Mountains, Sudan (South Kordofan). General views of Nuba villages are filmed, indicative of how both people and animals are affected. Views of a forest of "Mopane" (Copaifera) in North Rhodesia (on intertitle; post independence Zambia) are shown. Even in the dry season, the species Glossina Swynnertoni are photographed. Thickets in the ravines also harbour Glossina Pallidipes. G. Palpalis is present in 'Anglo-Egyptian Sudan' (from intertitle). Vegetation removal is the approach of tackling Glossina Palpalis from evergreen forests close to the waterside (shaky aerial shots evidence this). The control of tsetse fly presents 'a special problem' for 'tropical Africa' (from intertitle); people and cattle are concentrated into areas where the cattle destroys the grass and causes soil erosion. The rest of the film looks at some methods of studying tsetse. First is a laboratory at Shinyanga (Northern Tanzania). An intertitle notes that 'Fly Boys' (adult male African assistants) capture sample insects from cattle and vegetation in the bush. Glover purchases pupae from the villagers; he sits and smokes a cigarette whilst the villagers look on. Natural controls are burning low shrubbery at the end of the season. Another control seen at Fort Jameson (modern day Chipata, Zambia) involves the removal of trees. 'Discriminative clearing' occurs at the "Miombo" forests in Tanganyika (Tanzania) and Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), evident in shaky aerial footage. Clearings are made along the road through Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) to prevent vehicles transporting flies and serves to prevent Game moving across the land. Barrier clearing is also at the Hluhluwe Reserve (Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park), again to prevent spread of mosquitos and Game. A large clearing is shown at Chipinga, South Rhodesia (in the intertitle; modern day Chipinge, Zimbabwe). Finally, rod clearing at Yubu, (South) Sudan to prevent G. Palpalis. Ends abruptly.