Environmental Imperialism: A Review of Mine Your Own Business

In vogue the past couple of years, the documentary as an art form has deviated from the predictability of a Ken Burns-style documentary and has sought to provoke, not just educate, its audience. The successes of Michael Moore’s films and others of that ilk prove it is not just a video to be forced in front of the faces of sleepy schoolchildren, but can be used as a tool to question what they perceive to be the establishment. “Mine Your Own Business”, a film screened by Brown College Republicans on November 14, 2006, continued these new traditions. Described as “the world’s first anti-environmentalist documentary,” the filmmakers, Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney attempted to challenge the audience’s perception of environmentalists and the work they do in developing nations.

A former correspondent for the Financial Times and a contributor to BBC radio and television, Phelim McAleer along with Ann McElhinney directed and produced “Mine Your Own Business”; the documentary itself was written by McAleer. Both are fellows of the Moving Picture Institute, a non-profit organization focusing on advancing liberty by supporting like-minded films.

“Mine Your Own Business” addresses the tensions between the environmental movement and attempts to improve the economic situation in developing nations. The film focuses on Rosia Montana, a region in central Romania. Formerly the site of a state-owned mine that polluted the area, Gabriel Resources, a private mining corporation, wants to open a mine in the same region. The project would provide jobs for the impoverished area and give money to residents to relocate. The company also promises to clean up the damage from the state-owned mining company.

Environmental groups, such as Alburnus Maior, have been able to successfully
oppose the project, citing damage to nature as the main region the mining company should not be allowed to open. Rosia Montana would be best served if it could become a tourist destination, or if it were to invest in another type of industry. The only problem is that tourists are not flocking to Rosia Montana to hike in the mine-scarred hillsides or frolic in the polluted streams. Thus, working in the mines appears to be the only chance for the residents in this area to have a job.

George, an unemployed twenty-three year old Romanian, emerges as the most compelling character in the film. A character meant to be both loved and pitied; the viewer ignores his off-key, awkward singing and desperately wants him to have a job, any job. George eventually accompanies McAleer and McElhinney to Madagascar and Peru to visit more communities with halted mining projects. The Western environmentalists emerge as the perfect foil to earnest George who only wants to earn an honest living. The directors make sure to capture their obscene smugness and emphasize the fact many were not from the communities they were trying to “save.”