Seeing a white man in South Sudan explaining to soldiers and their superiors how to fight a war in a ‘humane’ way screams of neo-colonialism. Which makes Rules of War, selected for F:act Award Competition, an uncomfortable yet fascinating and provoking watch, which leaves you with mixed emotions and a lot of questions.
At the very beginning of the documentary we read about director Guido Hendrikx meeting Dutch Red Cross delegate Albert Schoneveld and being fascinated by his attempts to teach the South Sudanese military about the Rules of War which aim to maintain a degree of humanity in armed conflict. It is ‘an extraordinary ideal,’ Hendrikx states.
The set-up of the documentary which follows is simple: Hendrikx films Schoneveld while he teaches soldiers and their superiors within two different armies: the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and Sudan People’s Liberation Army. The men are in uniform but have left their weapons resting against a tree nearby.
But first Hendrikx shows the tall, handsome white man as he rides a boat on a river through the stunning landscapes of South Sudan – a strong visual reminder of how white men once ‘discovered’ Africa. And this emphasis on the remnants of centuries of colonisation is found throughout the documentary, as we rarely see both Schoneveld and his audience in the same shot.
The Red Cross delegate is pictured as the lone teacher, preacher, saviour maybe – vulnerable in his civilian clothes, but superior in his convictions. His audience is sat at school desks or on low chairs and benches, increasing the distance between them. The camera captures the listening men in a static frame, unflinching even as soldiers stare directly into the lens, as though it were a face-off.
Hendrikx captures the growing tension between teacher and ‘students.’ At first Schoneveld seems able to bond through his own army past. But he encounters disbelief when he tells the soldiers how he has traded his military job for a civilian one. You can feel their respect drop. From this awkward position he has to convince the men of the importance of abiding by ethical rules within war.
And then he brings up the subject of rape.
His audience is visibly confused and offended by the implication they would do such a thing and the atmosphere almost turns hostile. ‘Rape happens,’ they argue, ‘but it is mostly to blame on the enemies.’ They also bring up the non-verifiable fact that a lot of the news about rape is fabricated. Schoneveld seems to lose his grip on the situation and we are left with the feeling that nothing has been accomplished.
The footage of this suspenseful interaction is followed by scenes of local women, doing their hard labour and talking about rape and violence as an inevitable fact of live. A strong contrast with the soldiers we saw before, who seem to revel in their privileged position; a privilege pointed out by Schoneveld in his attemts to bond: ‘you are special because you’re allowed to kill’. Is Hendrikx purposefully making a direct connection between these women and the soldiers, between the women as victims and the soldiers as perpetrators?
Rules of War is a fascinating and provoking document which leaves you with mixed emotions and a lot of questions. Can Schoneveld’s work really have any significant impact? Should he or equivalent personnel be playing any role in the first place within this complex area of ethics? And will we ever really witness an end to the effects of colonization?
Netherlands, 2022, 53 mins
Dir: Guido Hendrikx
Screenwriters: Guido Hendrikx, Victor de Kok
Producers: Erik Glijnis, Leontine Petit
Production: Lemming Film
Camera: Emo Weemhoff
Sales: Taskovski Films
