Thursday, June 10, 2010
Kenya: Day 26 - Photos
Yesterday, after the shoot, the cast wanted their pictures taken. The lighting was so gorgeous and they just kept posing, that I had to keep shooting. Enjoy!
Kenya: Day 26
Pray for:
- Rosemary gets the provision to return to school
- Wisdom and insight of what to do about Rosemary and what to say to her parents
What happened:
- met with Koo at Java House to talk about climbing Mt Kenya
- went home and converted footage from MOV to WMV for Windows Movie Maker
- went to Prestige to meet with Pastor Faith, who didn't show
- went to Kibra Academy. Futama finished shooting today. i brought the kids chocolate cake that Helen, from my small group, had made
Yesterday, Rosemary, one of my students, at Kibra Academy came up to me and apologized for not being around. She hasn't been attending school because she can't afford school fees.
I talked to the principle today, and he told me that he had already let her come for one term, waiting for payment. She has since started her second term.
In total, Rosemary owes 12,000 KSH ($250 USD) for this year. And most likely the same amount for next year, where she'll be a senior. Then 5,000 KSH ($75 USD) for the national exam. For a total of $575 USD to finish high school.
It seems like a shame that she should be kept from her future because she can't afford to go to school. Sadly, her story is indicative of many in Kibera.
My heart goes out to Rosemary. She's bright, she's eager, and she's studios. I would consider her one of the stars in my class. I want to tell her that she doesn't have to worry about school, that it's covered. But is that the wisest solution?
This is one of the problems Filamujuani is looking to fix. But how best to fix it? How do you make it sustainable?
I asked the principle if I could meet the parents on Monday. I don't know what I'm going to say or ask. But if I can figure out a way to keep her in school without directly sponsoring her, that would be preferable. But if we can't come to a decision, am I willing to sponsor her?
Say I do sponsor her. What about the other kids who can't pay school fees?
Today, Futama wrapped production on her first short film today, Sumatra.
It was really great seeing a crowd form to watch them shoot. It was to the point where they were getting in the way of the wide shots that Futama was shooting.
Monday, we will start production on Shaban's film.
- Rosemary gets the provision to return to school
- Wisdom and insight of what to do about Rosemary and what to say to her parents
What happened:
- met with Koo at Java House to talk about climbing Mt Kenya
- went home and converted footage from MOV to WMV for Windows Movie Maker
- went to Prestige to meet with Pastor Faith, who didn't show
- went to Kibra Academy. Futama finished shooting today. i brought the kids chocolate cake that Helen, from my small group, had made
Yesterday, Rosemary, one of my students, at Kibra Academy came up to me and apologized for not being around. She hasn't been attending school because she can't afford school fees.
I talked to the principle today, and he told me that he had already let her come for one term, waiting for payment. She has since started her second term.
In total, Rosemary owes 12,000 KSH ($250 USD) for this year. And most likely the same amount for next year, where she'll be a senior. Then 5,000 KSH ($75 USD) for the national exam. For a total of $575 USD to finish high school.
It seems like a shame that she should be kept from her future because she can't afford to go to school. Sadly, her story is indicative of many in Kibera.
My heart goes out to Rosemary. She's bright, she's eager, and she's studios. I would consider her one of the stars in my class. I want to tell her that she doesn't have to worry about school, that it's covered. But is that the wisest solution?
This is one of the problems Filamujuani is looking to fix. But how best to fix it? How do you make it sustainable?
I asked the principle if I could meet the parents on Monday. I don't know what I'm going to say or ask. But if I can figure out a way to keep her in school without directly sponsoring her, that would be preferable. But if we can't come to a decision, am I willing to sponsor her?
Say I do sponsor her. What about the other kids who can't pay school fees?
Today, Futama wrapped production on her first short film today, Sumatra.
It was really great seeing a crowd form to watch them shoot. It was to the point where they were getting in the way of the wide shots that Futama was shooting.
Monday, we will start production on Shaban's film.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Kenya: Day 24
Pray for:
- Bind the strong man over Nairobi
- Release God's blessing on Nairobi
What happened:
- went to Jah Army
- went home
- Ken came to pick up some gear for his shoot
- went to Prestige to journal. Ran into Rachel. she's going to take me to Kibera tomorrow morning
- went to Kibra Academy. Futama was ready to shoot.
- went home. spent quite some time talking to the security guard. he basically told me his life story.
Today was Futama's first day of production. She was so thoughtful and kind that she bought the entire cast and crew soda. Knowing where the soda came from, it was one of the best sodas I've ever had.
Reading Futama's script, watching her direct her own script, working with her actors. And then going that extra mile to treat us all to drinks. Then, she's going to get the chance to edit it all together and have her very first short film. This toast had so much meaning. This toast, makes everything worth while.
Count me encouraged :D
I also spend some time talking, Richard, one of the security guards for our complex. We usually exchange pleasantries as I leave or return for the day.
Today, for some reason, he started telling me about his life. He has a wife and a 4 month old son named Sean. His wife helps take care of his mom after his dad passed away several years ago. They live far from Nairobi.
He makes 200 KSH (~ $2.50 USD) per day. Between rent, groceries, and supporting his family, he doesn't have the capacity to save. "Struggling" was what he called it.
On a side note. Vice President Joe Biden has been here for 2 days. His wife went to Kibera today. They got to experience some "mud".
Such is life in Nairobi. Highs and lows.
- Bind the strong man over Nairobi
- Release God's blessing on Nairobi
What happened:
- went to Jah Army
- went home
- Ken came to pick up some gear for his shoot
- went to Prestige to journal. Ran into Rachel. she's going to take me to Kibera tomorrow morning
- went to Kibra Academy. Futama was ready to shoot.
- went home. spent quite some time talking to the security guard. he basically told me his life story.
Today was Futama's first day of production. She was so thoughtful and kind that she bought the entire cast and crew soda. Knowing where the soda came from, it was one of the best sodas I've ever had.
Reading Futama's script, watching her direct her own script, working with her actors. And then going that extra mile to treat us all to drinks. Then, she's going to get the chance to edit it all together and have her very first short film. This toast had so much meaning. This toast, makes everything worth while.
Count me encouraged :D
I also spend some time talking, Richard, one of the security guards for our complex. We usually exchange pleasantries as I leave or return for the day.
Today, for some reason, he started telling me about his life. He has a wife and a 4 month old son named Sean. His wife helps take care of his mom after his dad passed away several years ago. They live far from Nairobi.
He makes 200 KSH (~ $2.50 USD) per day. Between rent, groceries, and supporting his family, he doesn't have the capacity to save. "Struggling" was what he called it.
On a side note. Vice President Joe Biden has been here for 2 days. His wife went to Kibera today. They got to experience some "mud".
Such is life in Nairobi. Highs and lows.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Kenya: Day 23
Pray for:
- Vision for Filamujuani
what happened:
- went to Jah Army. path was all muddy after the big rain the previous night
- went to prestige to meet with Ken. talked about the Filamujuani website. when we looked, it had gotten hacked.
- dropped off Ken's gear at my place.
- went to Ken's place.
- went to lunch: chipati + beef stew
- went to Kibra Academy. taught directing. Futama finished her script and pre-production. we'll start shooting her script tomorrow.
Today, over lunch, Ken and I talked about how the project has been going thus far. And it was a bit discouraging because only about half the class has been coming out.
The morning class is understandable considering all the mud. As I walked back to the mutatu, Kigan was telling me about how most of Jah Army doesn't come out when it's muddy like that.
Then, when I got to Kibra, Futama surprised me with not only a finished script, but finished pre-production too. She had an extensive shot list, storyboards, and everything else. She even went the extra mile and asked her actors to bring their home clothes to make it more real.
It was also really encouraging to see how well written the script was too. There were sentences that were grammatically incorrect, but that's ok. What really impressed me was how visual the script was. I could see all the action come alive off the page.
Still, we're rethinking our strategy for how we approach Filamujuani. How to have the most impact and really give these kids a future and not just have it be another after school club.
We also got a chance to sit down with Anima and Frances to do interviews for the Filamujuani documentary. Frances gave us a lot of really good stuff.
On Saturday, I'm going to be going to their homes and getting some coverage for the documentary.
- Vision for Filamujuani
what happened:
- went to Jah Army. path was all muddy after the big rain the previous night
- went to prestige to meet with Ken. talked about the Filamujuani website. when we looked, it had gotten hacked.
- dropped off Ken's gear at my place.
- went to Ken's place.
- went to lunch: chipati + beef stew
- went to Kibra Academy. taught directing. Futama finished her script and pre-production. we'll start shooting her script tomorrow.
Today, over lunch, Ken and I talked about how the project has been going thus far. And it was a bit discouraging because only about half the class has been coming out.
The morning class is understandable considering all the mud. As I walked back to the mutatu, Kigan was telling me about how most of Jah Army doesn't come out when it's muddy like that.
Then, when I got to Kibra, Futama surprised me with not only a finished script, but finished pre-production too. She had an extensive shot list, storyboards, and everything else. She even went the extra mile and asked her actors to bring their home clothes to make it more real.
It was also really encouraging to see how well written the script was too. There were sentences that were grammatically incorrect, but that's ok. What really impressed me was how visual the script was. I could see all the action come alive off the page.
Still, we're rethinking our strategy for how we approach Filamujuani. How to have the most impact and really give these kids a future and not just have it be another after school club.
We also got a chance to sit down with Anima and Frances to do interviews for the Filamujuani documentary. Frances gave us a lot of really good stuff.
On Saturday, I'm going to be going to their homes and getting some coverage for the documentary.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Kenya: Day 20 - Week 3 in review
This week in review: Jah Army, Children's DVD, Cold.
Jah Army
==
Jah Army is a a group of about 20 guys (and a few girls) in their early to late 20s from, living, and working in Kibera. Jah is swahili for God. They mostly grew up together and do a lot of art together. They sing, draw, paint, act, make documentaries, write, and now, making movies. They do a lot of socially aware content with an eye towards being role models for others in the community and encouraging young people to explore their creative talents.
Children's DVD
==
There's this DVD of "children's" song that Jeremy (the 18 month old) absolutely loves. When it's on, he's entranced, he's quiet. I can understand the appeal of something like that to parents.
Far too often, the DVD is set on loop, even if Jeremy isn't there to be inprisoned by it. And I do mean inprisoned because it is a torturous affair.
Poorly lipsynced children singing to their own voices. Arduous fades between shots where normal cuts would be sufficient. Terrible camera angles. And of course the rancorous noise that's considered music. With lyrics such as "Blue bird blue bird, through my window"; "when the army is up they're up, when the army is down they're down"; "everybody should love Jesus"; "the farmer in the dell"; and of course, who can forget "the cheese stands alone".
I won't even get into the inherent flaws in theology in the songs.
It may seem like I'm spewing bile on what many would consider harmless. But trust me. There has to be some statute in the Geneva convention that defines subjecting humans of any age to this torture as a war crime.
I could try to justify my hatred with some logic such as how the DVD is adverse to Jeremy's development. How it's destroying his ability to hold a semblance of attention. Or even the idea of a DVD as baby sitter.
But I won't. This is unbridled hate towards the product. I hope the company that developed this material has long filed chapter 11 and moved on to more meaningful work.
Cold
==
We've entered winter here in Kena and the month of June is supposed to be the coldest. "Cold" seems to be in the mid 60's and overcast. There isn't any sort of heat in the house, so I often wear 1 of 2 hoodies that I brought.
There have been a few days where I wish I brought my Northface as I had originally intended. I had removed it in order to reach the weight limit for my luggage.
When the sun is out, it's gorgeous. And there were days when it was down right hot. Those days were great.
It doesn't help that it rains almost every night, keeping the air cool during the day. It's funny, because it's not supposed to rain as much as it has.
But the cold is a real problem for those in Kibera. A transformer that brings a lot of electricity deep into Kibera has been out of commission for the last 4 weeks, with little sign of it being fixed any time soon. Along with the cold, comes illness.
One of the members of Jah Army, Zayna, both her and her child has been sick for what seems like 2 weeks now.
Jah Army
==
Jah Army is a a group of about 20 guys (and a few girls) in their early to late 20s from, living, and working in Kibera. Jah is swahili for God. They mostly grew up together and do a lot of art together. They sing, draw, paint, act, make documentaries, write, and now, making movies. They do a lot of socially aware content with an eye towards being role models for others in the community and encouraging young people to explore their creative talents.
Children's DVD
==
There's this DVD of "children's" song that Jeremy (the 18 month old) absolutely loves. When it's on, he's entranced, he's quiet. I can understand the appeal of something like that to parents.
Far too often, the DVD is set on loop, even if Jeremy isn't there to be inprisoned by it. And I do mean inprisoned because it is a torturous affair.
Poorly lipsynced children singing to their own voices. Arduous fades between shots where normal cuts would be sufficient. Terrible camera angles. And of course the rancorous noise that's considered music. With lyrics such as "Blue bird blue bird, through my window"; "when the army is up they're up, when the army is down they're down"; "everybody should love Jesus"; "the farmer in the dell"; and of course, who can forget "the cheese stands alone".
I won't even get into the inherent flaws in theology in the songs.
It may seem like I'm spewing bile on what many would consider harmless. But trust me. There has to be some statute in the Geneva convention that defines subjecting humans of any age to this torture as a war crime.
I could try to justify my hatred with some logic such as how the DVD is adverse to Jeremy's development. How it's destroying his ability to hold a semblance of attention. Or even the idea of a DVD as baby sitter.
But I won't. This is unbridled hate towards the product. I hope the company that developed this material has long filed chapter 11 and moved on to more meaningful work.
Cold
==
We've entered winter here in Kena and the month of June is supposed to be the coldest. "Cold" seems to be in the mid 60's and overcast. There isn't any sort of heat in the house, so I often wear 1 of 2 hoodies that I brought.
There have been a few days where I wish I brought my Northface as I had originally intended. I had removed it in order to reach the weight limit for my luggage.
When the sun is out, it's gorgeous. And there were days when it was down right hot. Those days were great.
It doesn't help that it rains almost every night, keeping the air cool during the day. It's funny, because it's not supposed to rain as much as it has.
But the cold is a real problem for those in Kibera. A transformer that brings a lot of electricity deep into Kibera has been out of commission for the last 4 weeks, with little sign of it being fixed any time soon. Along with the cold, comes illness.
One of the members of Jah Army, Zayna, both her and her child has been sick for what seems like 2 weeks now.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
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