Framing the Global South Through Film: Postcolonial Representation of Indonesia in Riders of Destiny

Hasta Aisyah Trida Pramita; Dwi Ardhanariswari  Sundrijo

doi:10.22151/politikon.27.2.2

Authors

Hasta Aisyah Trida Pramita University of Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0475-5147
Dwi Ardhanariswari Sundrijo University of Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7544-0498

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.27.2.2

Keywords:

Colonial Gaze, Cultural Framing, Documentary Film, Global South, Indonesia, Orientalism, Postcolonial Representation

Abstract

This study examines Riders of Destiny (2019), a German documentary portraying pacoa jara, the child-jockey horse-racing tradition in Sumbawa, Indonesia. While the film highlights risk such as injury and disrupted education, it frames the practice almost exclusively as child exploitation, offering a narrow view that overlooks its historical, cultural, and economic significance. Using a postcolonial framework grounded in Orientalism and representational politics, this study analyses the film’s content, narrative framing, and production context to explore how Western documentaries construct knowledge about the Global South. The findings show that the documentary’s selective interviews, aesthetic choices, and Western festival circulation reinforce a humanitarian narrative that positions Germany as a moral authority while marginalising local perspectives. Rather than denying concerns about child welfare, the study argues that understanding pacoa jara requires attention to community-based meanings that cannot be reduced to a universal Western standard.

References

Berghahn, Daniela. 2021. “Performing Exoticism and the Transnational Reception of World Cinema.” Studies in World Cinema 1 (2): 221–238. https://doi.org/10.1163/26659891-01020001

Brylla, Catalin. 2018. “The Benefits of Content Analysis for Filmmakers.” Studies in Australasian Cinema 12 (2–3): 150–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/17503175.2018.1540097

Columpar, Corinn. 2002. “The Gaze as Theoretical Touchstone: The Intersection of Film Studies, Feminist Theory, and Postcolonial Theory.” Women’s Studies Quarterly 30 (1/2): 25–44.

Fedorov, Alexander. 2023. “Theoretical Concepts of Film Studies in Cinema Art Journal (1969–1985).” International Journal of Media and Information Literacy 8 (1): 14–60. https://doi.org/10.13187/ijmil.2023.1.14

Hanmakyugh, Tareq. 2020. “The Psychology of Camera Shots: A Determinant for Audience Perception of Film Images.” AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 14 (1): 104–113.

Isnaini, L. M., and H. Hasbi. 2020. “The Role of Sport Tourism in Economic Development in NTB.” Jurnal Lembing PJKR 4 (2): 27–32.

Kim, Jang-Hyeon, Yuh-Sun Jun, and Young-Sam Kim. 2014. “Costume Colour Design as a Symbolic Expression in the Independent Film: Bittersweet Life—Images in Situations of Movie Location.” The Research Journal of the Costume Culture 22 (1): 167–182. https://doi.org/10.7741/rjcc.2014.22.1.167.

Kovsh, O., and M. Dziuba. 2022. “Symbolism of Color in Cinema.” Bulletin of Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts: Series in Audiovisual Arts and Production 5 (2): 207–215. https://doi.org/10.31866/2617-2674.5.2.2022.269532.

Lannom, Shane. 2020. “Camera Angles Explained: The Different Types of Camera Shot Angles in Film.” June 28, 2020. StudioBinder. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/types-of-camera-shot-angles-in-film/.

Loomba, Ania. 2005. Colonialism/Postcolonialism. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge.

Maulana, D., Sugiyanto, and S. Riyadi. 2021. “Traditional Games as Tourism Sports and Characteristics of Sports Culture in Sumbawa Indonesia.” International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention 8 (10): 6640–6648. https://doi.org/10.18535/ijsshi/v8i10.05.

Mishra, Vijay, and Bob Hodge. 2005. “What Was Postcolonialism?” New Literary History 36 (3): 375–402. https://doi.org/10.1353/nlh.2005.0045.

Nichols, Bill. 1991. Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Niermann, Michael, dir. 2019. Riders of Destiny. Germany: Al-Jazeera English. YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1a4qFX2vzg.

Paksi, D. 2021. “Color in the World of Visuals.” IMAJI Film Fotografi Televisi & Media Baru 12 (2): 90–97. https://doi.org/10.52290/i.v12i2.49.

Portegies, Aafke. 2010. “Places on My Mind: Exploring Contextuality in Film in Between the Global and the Local.” Tourism and Hospitality Planning & Development 7 (1): 47–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790530903522622.

Ponzanesi, Sandra, and Marguerite Waller. 2012. Postcolonial Cinema Studies. London and New York: Routledge.

Pramaggiore, Maria, and Tom Wallis. 2008. Film: A Critical Introduction. 4th ed. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Rosenthal, Alan, and Ned Eckhardt. 2016. Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films and Digital Videos. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.

Savardi, Mattia, et al. 2023. “Recognition of Camera Angle and Camera Level in Movies from Single Frames.” In Proceedings of the ACM International Conference on Interactive Media Experiences, 79–85. Nantes: Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3604321.3604334.

Said, Edward W. 1977. Orientalism. The Georgia Review, 31(1), 162-206.

Said, Edward W. 2014. Orientalism reconsidered. In Postcolonial criticism (pp. 126-144). Routledge.

Shohat, Ella, and Robert Stam. 1994. Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media. London: Routledge.

Wahyuni, N., N. Irruba’i, and N. Maulany. 2023. “Social Values in Horse Racing Culture: Case Study of Boal Village, Sumbawa Besar District.” Jurnal Pendidikan IPS 13 (1). https://doi.org/10.37630/jpi.v13i1.980.

Weaver-Hightower, Rebecca, and Peter Hulme. 2014. Postcolonial Film: History, Empire, Resistance. London and New York: Routledge.

Young, James. 2012. “Postcolonial Remains.” New Literary History 43 (1): 19–42. https://doi.org/10.1353/nlh.2012.0009.