A former farmer who knows from personal experience how simple drip irrigation technology can help crops grow in desert conditions, Arbel wants to prove to Cameroon's farmers that they can improve their crops and, as a result, their standard of living.
Filmed in Hebrew, English, French and Cameroonian (with English subtitles and a delightfully mischievous musical score), Honorable Ambassador showcases a societal problem involving gender roles which, for a determined Israeli who firmly believes in equal rights for women, is more than a little bit baffling. Why? In Cameroon, the women do the farm work, raise the children, handle the cooking and perform domestic chores. In many cases, the men do little more than impregnate their women.
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| Miki Arbel |
So why aren't Cameroon's farmers adopting the drip irrigation systems? As he travels to rural villages in Cameroon, explores the jungle in suit and tie and tries to use every diplomatic tool at his disposal while meeting with local chieftains, Arbel runs up against cultural obstacles and behaviors which aren't the slightest bit impressed with his irrigation technology or, for that matter, with Miki Arbel.
Honorable Ambassador shows what happens when cultures (and the worlds they represent) collide. If Arbel's supply of chutzpah seems inexhaustible, it is no match for the equally stubborn men who don't want any help from him.
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