This is a documentary not to be missed. In 1 hour and 45 minutes, the movie China: the Uyghur drama broadcast on Arte on February 8, looks back at the tragedy afflicting the Turkish-speaking Muslim community of the country, persecuted since the late 1940s.
The calendar is nothing by chance. A few days after the start of the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, all eyes are on China. The opportunity for the chain art to broadcast this documentary about the abuses perpetrated by this country on its way to becoming the world’s greatest economic power.
Between archives, shocking testimonies from survivors of detention camps and decryptions by Chinese and foreign experts, director François Reinhardt lifts the veil on the genocide at work in the Uyghur autonomous region of Xinjiang. The film traces the history of the persecution against this Muslim community, from the time of Mao to today. The director takes a straightforward approach to the issue of torture, internment camps, forced labour, but also mass disappearances and sterilizations.
In this Xinjiang province, which is autonomous in name only, the Uyghurs see their culture reduced to nothing in the face of a bewildered and immobile international community. However, since 2018, whistleblowers have been relaying the living conditions of the 11 million Uyghurs who inhabit China. No result.
To learn more about this modern drama, this valuable documentary can be seen on Arte until May 31.