Leni Riefenstahl interviewed by Kevin Brownlow

"If Leni Riefenstahl had done nothing but visit Africa and bring back her photographs, her place in history would be secure."

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The European idea of "savages" proved unfounded; in fact, she found the so-called "savages" a lot more congenial than many of the "civilized" people she encountered.

"During one of the expeditions I had engaged a German and an Englishman. This was in the southern Sudan. They had an ancient car, an old VW van in bad condition. I talked them into taking me to the Nuba about 500 km (out of their way.) I offered them the last bit of money that I had."

For the four weeks she wanted to stay with the Nuba, the German demanded fifteen hundred marks-payment in advance. When the van finally arrived at "her" tree, the Nuba gathered round shouting "Leni-Leni giratzo" ("Leni's come back.")

"The men and women hugged me, the children pulled at my clothes," Leni wrote. "Their jubilation was indescribable and I was deliriously happy. I had wanted this kind of reunion and it surpassed all my hopes." (p. 482)

Next morning, the German announced they would be moving in two days. Leni protested she had paid for four weeks. But the German's mind was made up. The Nuba, recognising the situation, simply transferred her camp and lent her one of their huts. She was told that a grand wrestling festival was to take place.

"Wrestling was their life. For them, the most important thing after death was wrestling. They started as babies. As soon as they could toddle they'd start wrestling."

Leni decided to go to the festival without informing the German. To her alarm, the distance proved to be enormous and in the fierce heat she passed out. A Nuba woman carried her the rest of the way in a basket on her head.

The festival surpassed anything she had ever witnessed. While she struggled through the crowd to photograph it, wrestlers nearly fell on top of her. Her Nuba friends escorted her to the spot where the best wrestler of the Mesakin Nuba was to fight the strongest from the Togadindi region, who was almost seven feet tall. The remarkable event had just reached its climax when Leni caught sight of her estwhile friends, the German and the Englishman.

"They said they were leaving and I had to go with them. But I couldn't leave because my things were in another place, not where the wrestling was going on."

But leave she had to, even though the Nuba begged her to stay. Weeping with frustration, she had to climb in to the van-and when she returned to her camp, the German admitted they couldn't leave until the next day. Leni could have stayed at the festival. That night, her Nuba came back. They had left the festival to say goodbye to her. And all too soon, it was time to depart.

"The German and the Englishman were dragging me off. The Nuba came running up and said "Goodbye, goodbye!" and grabbed my hands. They wanted me to stay. But the others took me off by force. The Nuba didn't want to let me go. They'd already picked out a spot where they were going to build me a house. I really wanted to stay there, I was going to stay there for good."

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