For Canal+, Françoise Spiekermeier explored the many faces of beauty in Papua New Guinea. One sequence took her to the Asaro valley and its famous mudmen.
Les Nouveaux Explorateurs sent its presenters around the world, each with their own theme. Françoise Spiekermeier, trained as an anthropologist, explored how the body, adornment and beauty are seen in different cultures. Her Papua New Guinea episode was broadcast in January 2013.
Clay masks and a legend
The Asaro mudmen come from the Asaro valley in the Eastern Highlands, near Goroka. They are known around the world for their clay masks with fearsome faces. According to the legend, a man once came out of a mud pool covered in grey clay and was taken for a ghost.
The film
| Programme | Les Nouveaux Explorateurs, “La Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée” |
| Broadcaster | Canal+ (January 2013) |
| Presenter | Françoise Spiekermeier |
| Director | Jean-Marie Barrère |
| Production | One Planet |
| Our role | Fixing & logistics |
Another sequence of the same film: the women of Mount Hagen.
Filming in the Eastern Highlands?
Goroka, the Asaro valley, the Goroka Show: we know them well.