By Caroline Comport | Project Leader
"The human species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories."
~ Mary Catherine Bateson / Writer and Anthropologist
Dear Africa Film Project Supporter,
One of our goals is to empower Africans to shape and tell the stories of their past, present, and future.
When we launched the Africa Film Project in 2009, our strategy was to work with talented journalists from across the continent who expressed an interest in learning how to craft compelling narratives in the form of short documentary films.
Like many aspiring filmmakers, these African filmmakers carve out time from their weekly schedules, including “day jobs that pay the rent” – to practice their new skills – shining a light on untold stories and profiling individuals they believe the rest of the world should know.
Since our founding, these creative filmmakers have told the stories of Nairobi’s street children; Cameroon’s Albino population; and Burundi’s first female musical drum troop.
Along the way, many of these aspiring filmmakers share the skills they have learned. One of our 2009 AFP journalists, C.K. from Kenya, recently told us, “the AFP training gave me skills in practical film idea creation, script writing and hands-on film and documentary production.”
As a journalist turned university professor, C.K. says he is now “able to impart practical skills in broadcast/film script writing and production to young journalists, most of who are today practicing in this field in various mainstream TV stations in Kenya.”
This is more important than ever as the continent experiences what some African leaders describe as a brain drain. At a recent event, former South African President Thabo Mbeki called the number of skilled professionals leaving the continent “truly frightening.”
C.K. is rejecting this trend by choosing to stay in his country. The skills he learned during our AFP workshops helped him become a better storyteller, a stronger teacher and a lifelong learner. Since participating in the AFP workshop, C.K. has earned a Master’s degree and is now pursuing a PhD.
As we continue to reflect on our past and imagine our future we welcome your ideas to grow the African Film Project into a global program to help train the next generation of storytellers.
With our gratitude for your continued support,
The Africa Film Project Team
By Caroline Comport | Project Leader
By Caroline Comport | Project Leader
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