Around half of all languages spoken around the world are endangered. But the phenomenon is not irreversible. This VR experience lets you join in attempts to revive Kusunda, which is spoken by the members of the eponymous population group in Nepal. This community counts just 150 or so members, and many of them no longer speak the language. With the disappearance of their traditional nomadic lifestyle, the Kusunda language has gradually fallen into disuse.
This virtual reality experience uses intentionally rough-edged 3D scans and stylized animations to transport you to a small Nepalese village. There you meet co-creators Lil Bahadur, an 86-year-old shaman who spoke Kusunda in his youth but has now forgotten the language, and his 15-year-old granddaughter Hima, who is working to revitalise it. And you can use your own voice to stand in solidarity with them.
This project is a virtual reality experience.
Watch
Credits
Director
Felix Gaedtke, Gayatri Parameswaran
Co-director
Gyani Maiya Kusunda, Hima Kusunda, Lil Bahadur Kusunda
Production
NowHere Media, INVR.SPACE, Fasad, Poké Poké Creative
Key collaborator
Mia von Kolpakow
Executive producer
René Pinnell for Kaleidoscope
IDFA history
2021
Dutch Premiere
DocLab: Liminal Reality
IDFA Doclab Spotlight
DocLab: Liminal Reality
IDFA Doclab Spotlight
2019
Round Table Pitch Doclab