Nauru is a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean that was christened Pleasant Island by European explorers. The history of this “pleasant island” – which was under the protectorate of the German Empire from 1888 until World War I – is often seen as a parable for our world today. Nauru has been hit hard by the effects of colonization, capitalism, migration and ecological disaster. After the discovery of vast phosphate deposits, the microstate briefly became one of the richest countries in the world. Every bit of land was stripped down to the last corner and sold all over the world as fertilizer for agriculture. After plundering its natural resources, the island was left in economic and environmental ruins. Today, in order to survive, the government accepts unwelcome asylum seekers from Australia in exchange for financial compensation and houses them in detention centers.

Silke Huysmans and Hannes Dereere have traveled to Nauru for their field research. In this post-apocalyptic environment they have tried to capture the historical, ecological and humanitarian exhaustion of the island. Due to the threat of reprisals, they went without camera equipment and discreetly recorded their interviews with cell phones. The aesthetics of the smartphone also dominate what takes place on stage and make PLEASANT ISLAND an extraordinary and moving documentary theater piece.

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