By Pamela Collett | Communications
When you hear the word "slum", what do you think of?
The mainstream media usually depicts slums as places of poverty, crime and violence. But in Nairobi and many other cities in sub Saharan Africa, urban slums are where most of the population lives. The living conditions may be substandard, but slums are home to many talented, creative young people with stories to tell.
Hot Sun Foundation has been working with youth in the slums of Nairobi since 2000. We started the Kibera Film School in 2009.
In August 2011, working with other slum-based cultural groups and with the support of the Spanish Embassy in Nairobi, Hot Sun Foundation initiated the Slum Film Festival that focuses on films made by and about the slums. The pilot edition of the Slum Film Festival focused on the images of slums in Nairobi. For two weeks, audiences in the Nairobi slums of Kibera and Mathare could watch films about their own lives made by young filmmakers.
Here's what Robert, 21, a Kibera Film School trainee has to say about the Slum Film Festival:
For me it meant the passion of art from the youths of Kibera Film School and other slum areas...exchanging our ideas and working as a team to tell our own stories.
The audiences were really motivated and inspired by what the youths are doing. They never thought that youth from the slums could become filmmakers.
With the next Slum Film Festival, we should not only consider the slums… we should move out with the slum perspective to reach the youths in other communities.
Your donations to Hot Sun Foundation make it possible for Robert and many other youth to get the skills needed to tell their stories using digital video technology.
Your donations offer new opportunities for talented youth to become community role models as filmmakers, artists and peacemakers.
Please donate TODAY. All of your donations are USA tax deductible.
Spread the word on facebook, twitter, blogs.
Thanks for all you do.
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By Pamela Collett | Communications
By Pamela Collett (with Vincent Oduor Ochieng') | Communications (Kibera Film School trainee)
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