The People of Kau
Encyclopedia
'The People of Kau' is the title of the 1976 English-language translation of German film director Leni Riefenstahl
's 'Die Nuba von Kau ', an illustrations book published in the same year in Germany. The book was an international bestseller
and is a follow-up to her earlier successful 1973 book Die Nuba.
of Kau in 1975. These people, known as the "South East Nuba", live only 100 miles away from the Mesakin Nuba. Yet, they speak another language, follow different customs, and are very different in character and temperament. The knife-fights, dances of love and elaborately painted faces and bodies are photographed in the book.
and Vanishing Africa
in the 2002 book, Africa by Leni Riefentstahl. The collection garnered positive reviews;
"A big, black Mercedez-Benz of a book.... Ideology aside, the pictures are hard to resist, combining all the voyeuristic pleasures of National Geographic-style anthropology with an unequivocal appreciation of the innate grace and symmetry of the human form... Riefenstahl`s photographs preserve a mythic vision of this Eden before the fall, a romantic lost world, captured in images as powerfully seductive as the artist herself." V Magazine
"A magnificent collection and a fitting celebration of this formidable artist's 100th birthday."
The Times Higher Education Supplement
"an imposing collection". Newsweek
. For the first time, Riefenstahl's extensive moving footage of the Nuba was also shown to the public for the first time in the film.
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens , a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party...
's 'Die Nuba von Kau ', an illustrations book published in the same year in Germany. The book was an international bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
and is a follow-up to her earlier successful 1973 book Die Nuba.
Synopsis
This is a photographic monograph on the life of the people of Kau. Leni Riefenstahl spent 16 weeks with the NubaNuba
Nuba is a collective term used here for the peoples who inhabit the Nuba Mountains, in Sudan, Africa. Although the term is used to describe them as if they composed a single group, the Nuba are multiple distinct peoples and speak different languages...
of Kau in 1975. These people, known as the "South East Nuba", live only 100 miles away from the Mesakin Nuba. Yet, they speak another language, follow different customs, and are very different in character and temperament. The knife-fights, dances of love and elaborately painted faces and bodies are photographed in the book.
Reception
The book was well received both commercially and critically. The photographs were recently republished along with those of The Last of the NubaThe Last of the Nuba
The Last of the Nuba is the English-language title of German film director Leni Riefenstahl's 1973 Die Nuba, an illustrations book published a year later in the United States...
and Vanishing Africa
Vanishing Africa
Vanishing Africa is the title of the 1982 English-language translation of German film director Leni Riefenstahl's 'Mein Afrika', an illustrations book published in the same year in Germany...
in the 2002 book, Africa by Leni Riefentstahl. The collection garnered positive reviews;
"A big, black Mercedez-Benz of a book.... Ideology aside, the pictures are hard to resist, combining all the voyeuristic pleasures of National Geographic-style anthropology with an unequivocal appreciation of the innate grace and symmetry of the human form... Riefenstahl`s photographs preserve a mythic vision of this Eden before the fall, a romantic lost world, captured in images as powerfully seductive as the artist herself." V Magazine
V (American magazine)
V magazine is an American fashion magazine published since 1999. The magazine is printed seasonally and highlights trends in fashion, film music and art. A men's fashion quarterly entitled VMAN started as an offshoot in 2003.-History:...
"A magnificent collection and a fitting celebration of this formidable artist's 100th birthday."
The Times Higher Education Supplement
The Times Higher Education Supplement
The Times Higher Education , formerly Times Higher Education Supplement , is a weekly British magazine based in London reporting specifically on news and other issues related to higher education...
"an imposing collection". Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
Documentary
Together with her other published photographs of the Nuba, several photographs from the book were showcased in the 1993 documentary, The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni RiefenstahlThe Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl
The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl is a 1993 German documentary film about the life of German film director Leni Riefenstahl, directed by Ray Müller.-Production background:...
. For the first time, Riefenstahl's extensive moving footage of the Nuba was also shown to the public for the first time in the film.