Yesterday we took a trip to a near by gold mining village to capture the photographs for the workshop. The living conditions in the village were very poor and I found the whole atmosphere upsetting, I expected poverty but I interacting with the locals made it more real. The students were proactive and worked with our pre planned topics and were snapping loads. They kept checking up with myself and Sarah to check their framing was correct which was fab as it meant they had took on board what we taught them. When we got back we looked through the photos and as a group selected the photos for the video, there were plenty to chose from! Like in Nairobi, I was really suprised by the quality of work produced by the students. They got to grips with the basics really quick. We had some trouble finding a copy of Moviemaker that worked but eventually found a copy on a students laptop. We taught the students how to import photos, add transitions/text and decided what text to use. Our initial text had to be changed due to the content of the images was different to what we previously planned. It was getting late and both myself and Sarah were losing work momentum/enthusiasm and so were the students but Sarah saved the day by finding somewhere that sold cold Coke!
The visit to the village bothered me, I felt that it was disrespectful for a coach full of students and professors to turn up to the tiny village. Some locals didn’t want to be photographed and it caused a bit of a stir especially with the young children. Peter pointed out despite it being inappropriate we were doing it for a good cause and that this is an ethical issue of the media.
Today we had a meeting the deputy governor. I found it difficult to hear what was being said as I was sat at the back and there were lots of other noise but the response of the DP to our work was positive! Once we got back we polished off our video as a group. We decided that statistics would make the message we are conveying more powerful and showed the video to Peter who made a few suggestions for improvement. The group seemed happy with the finished video although they weren’t as enthusiastic as Nairobi students. I think that the video is visually engaging and raises awareness about health and poverty yet I can’t help but a bit negative about it due to the nature of the visit.

Today we began the workshops with University of Rongo. When we got there we were greeted by speeches from the principle, deans and professors. After this we split off into groups. Me and Sarah we designated the photography group and had 3 students.

The students were very quiet so myself and Sarah tried our best to be enthusiastic and friendly in hope of engaging them. We brainstormed ideas and our group decided that they wanted to focus on food and family. This was a difficult situation for us as we thought that this idea couldn’t be protrayed photographically due to our location and time span also we felt that this wasn’t a pressing issue that needs awareness raised around it. We spoke to Peter and Willice and they told us that we needed to explain this to them in a clear and sensitive way. Once we explained this to our group they understood and didn’t have a problen with it which was great.

After some more brainstorming the group decided to focus on health and poverty. We listed the main issues and decided that a story slide show would be an effective format to exhibit them in. We incorporated a format in which they can learn portrait and documentary photography.

We taught them framing, angles, how to use a tripod and narrow depth of field. At first this was difficult as they had no prior experience but once we handed them the cameras they picked it up really quick. I think this brought them out of their shell as they photographed and it caused a bit of a stir especially with the young children. Peter pointed out despite it being inappropriate we were doing it for a good cause and that this is an ethical issue of the media.
Today we had a meeting the deputy governor. I found it difficult to hear what was being said as I was sat at the back and there were lots of other noise but the response of the DP to our work was positive! Once we got back we polished off our video as a group. We decided that statistics would make the message we are conveying more powerful and showed the video to Peter who made a few suggestions for improvement. The group seemed happy with the finished video although they weren’t as enthusiastic as Nairobi students. I think that the video is visually engaging and raises awareness about health and poverty yet I can’t help but a bit negative about it due to the nature of the visit.

Yesterday we left base in Nairobi and travelled to a small private school in the rural village Londiani. The long coach journey meant that we got to see a lot more of rural Kenya which was a big change. The living conditions were a lot poorer with fallen down shacks and people selling on the side of roads. It was strange to see all the adverts painted on buildings and how each ‘shanty’ village had shacks for bars, hairdressers, butchers etc. I was also suprised to see how many people fitted on motorbikes… there were 5 on one! On the way we also stopped at Riff Valley view point which was a beautiful landscape.

When we arrived at the school they greeted us with singing which was really nice and a bit moving to see how grateful they were to have us there. We had lunch in a tiny room which was delicious. The school was really small considering the amount of pupils, they only had two toliets which were holes in the ground and the kids had to share bunkbeds between 4. All the pupils were fascinated by us and kept stroking us and asking us to sing and dance which was a bit overwhelming but cute. When the headmaster said that the kids board for 14 weeks then have 4 days off to see their families it made me sad as some of them were as young as 3 but I guess they are from a different culture and that is a sacrifice they make for a good education. We did a few interviews at the school and we are going to make them a video promoting how massively the school would benefit from money to get electricity and finish off building the well that they couldn’t afford to finish.

After we were finished at the school we travelled to University of Rongo and were greeted with a really nice meal. It was a long day of travelling (on very bumpy roads) but driving through the villiages was eye opening and the school visit made it more than worthwhile!

After leaving the hostel an hour later than scheduled once again we arrived to have breakfast an hour late and thus, surprise surprise, we left and hour late for hour meeting with the governor. The fact that we had already been running behind schedule did not seem to bother Jerry in the slightest as he attended two more last minute meetings as we waited in the bus. By that time it was nearly 11 and we were meant to have been at the governors office by ten with still an hours travel to go. Once we arrived at the governors office CM4K waited outside his office along side the Rongo students only to be told 20 minutes later that the Governor was in Nairobi. Whilst this all seemed very unorganised, a last minute meeting with the deputy governor was still arranged and our group of around 30 students and 5+ lectures headed to his office. The meeting was interesting however as you could see the pride in the members of Migori council had about their area. After the talk started by a funny professor, encouraging us Muzongo ladies to get married to a handsome Kenyan like him, various members of both their party and ours continued promoting their ideas. Once the meeting had finished we returned for lunch and then finally to start the editing process, the actual reason we are here. The editing process worked out better than expected as Rod, the good soul, put everything in order during our waiting period in the morning. We finished the rough cut as dinner was ready but thus had to continue the editing the next day. Today Kenyan pride was reinforced, as were issues in their local community like their lack of resources to communicate these issues and also the fact that timing and organisation are not a Kenyan forte.

The second day at Rongo was unfortunately not as productive as the first on terms  of our project. As the previous day we were supposed to leave at 8 but only left at around 830, arrived at the college and had an extensive breakfast. We then waited for our interviewee to arrive she however did not turn up until after we’ve visited the gold mine close to the university. This was extremely interesting as we look at gold and see it as a sign of wealth and a connotation of glamourousness, but the people who mine it live very simple lives unlike the people who invest in gold. A lack of education became evident again as well as the mining process involved repeatedly mixing the ground stones with bare hands in mercury which is very harmful to the health. It may not even be a lack of education but a lack of option so that people have to resort to gold mining to make ends meet. Fortunately the other video group focused their documentary on gold mining and the effects of this on the community and its members. I felt terrible just wondering around on their property, observing them and taking pictures. It didn’t really feel like we were doing community work but more like we were just intruding the community member’s personal space. Once we returned we faced a number of technical problems as there is only one computer at Rongo and we could thus not edit as the other video group was using Peters laptop. We attempted to entertain our group with other means like filming B-roll however they seemed extremely unenthused by that point in the day.

The last 2 days have been eventful and involved us travelling far and long. After leaving Nairobi early(ish) to get to Rongo via Londiani we arrived at Kingsway primary school at around midday to film a quick video promoting the issues they are facing. Whilst our welcome was truly endearing and the children’s excitement was heartwarming it was also sad as we were told it was one of the best boarding schools in the district and had neither running water or electricity. The reason this made me feel melancholic was because I was thinking if this is a high ranking private school I can not being to imagine what a mediocre state school looked like. Whilst the children were probably the happiest I’ve ever seen anyone be, I couldn’t help but compare this to my boarding school experience, only to realise that there was no similarities. This this does not exclusively relate to the facilities but also to the incomparable attitude these
kids had towards us and evidently life in general. What I have learnt from this is that people actually need very little to be happy and we are continuously causing ourselves problems which are actually insignificant as we are really fortunate to not have to worry about catering for basic human needs as clean water. Obviously we are aware that some of the issues we consider problems are insignificant and there are people with issues unimaginable to us, it does however make a massive difference experiencing this first hand and I really aim to remember this once I’m back and remind myself to not get frustrated so easily about things like a lack of soya milk in the house. We left and continued or journey which felt like it was an eternity through beautiful Kenyan country side and several villages Europeans would consider Shanty towns. After a long journey we final arrived at Rongo where we were greeted with a very big delicious meal before being led to our hostel. The first day in Rongo was actually really enjoyable as the group of girls we worked with seemed very determined to make a difference about prevalent issues within their communities. We settled on the topic of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) which is practiced in certain tribal communities as a rite of passage and to control women’s libido. After I was already aware that women’s rights were less developed than in the Western world I only realised then how in many communities the woman is actually considered as significantly inferior to the male. Once again I was slightly overwhelmed with this cultural difference and I was really impressed that these girls, who were younger than me, were really passionate about this and really hoping to change current attitudes. We spent the day storyboarding, explaining shots and production roles and running a practice interview and organising another interview. All in all 2 successful days which have taught be a lot of Kenyan culture, cultural diversity amongst their country and between us and their country. I am really interested in what they have to say and am looking forward to finding out more about their views on current issues.

Well! What a turnaround today has been.

Today we held a workshop at Rongo University with a number of students.  The customary meet and greet, presentations and speeches were made, punctuated with many coffee and tea breaks (which I add, made me a very happy person).  Groups were made out of decisions made by the students – audio or video production.  Five students; Mercy, Thomas, Khadija, Benedict and Jackson chose to work with Emily and I on audio. Before the training begun, I felt a hint of apprehension but, mostly enthusiasm and more at ease.  We both felt more in control of what we were doing albeit, a moment or two when it came to making the chosen topic into a coherent rounded narrative through storyboarding.  I can only improve with this.  Peter would come over now and then to observe which, although helpful a lot of the time, at other times we – I speak for myself – would feel a little pressure and under scrutiny (sorry Peter!).  I think because of our sense of control, and by no means in control of the students but of the situation, and increased confidence, made things run more smoothly and this work seemed more like fun and a better learning experience for everyone.  We pretty much had a narrative and the objective nailed soon on, and were recording after only an hour or so spent on the mind mapping and the same for storyboarding.  Admittedly our students were absolutely wonderful; engaging, excited and eager to express ideas on what they wanted to narrate.  As an observation, in any dynamic you will find different personalities, strengths and weaknesses. We found an especially strong character; Khadija, who expressed passionately her ideas in the most articulate fashion.  Whilst on a tea break, Khadija told me with conviction that all she wanted to do was learn and to change things in this world – and that she didn’t think that she knew enough.  I told her that we are all still learning and that as long as she maintained her passion, belief and focus that she could indeed contribute to change.  In contrast, we had Mercy who, I am certain has the same attributes, remained reserved and at times distant from the group.  We tried on a number of times to include Mercy, in order to draw out her thoughts and to get her more involved – I hope she finds more trust in us and in the work tomorrow.  The boys were all glued to the audacity editing – eyes on stalks whilst cutting, chopping and moving around content, which I found quite endearing.

At the end of the day, Jackson took both Emily and I on a tour around the campus.  Jackson is studying Informatics and whilst not particularly keen on narrating stories, was great fun, polite and engaging. An exceptional sweet young man, I truly hope he goes far.  This sentiment extends to all of our participants today

So, this is the end of my stay in Kenya as I am flying back to the UK before everybody else.  I’ve left the workshop and this particular audio work half way through but am 110% confident that with the guidance from Emily (all on her own – which I think is amazing) will pull together a brilliant piece of work.  I cannot wait to hear it

So, after yesterday’s challenges, once again Emily and I were faced with many more. This time mostly technical.  To begin with, we discovered a compatibility issue with the editing software and recording equipment.  Our participants had to record their content five times as the microphones failed to recognise/save any work. This became embarrassing for us; we had to deal with this by way of apology and trying our best to maintain a sense of humour with a ‘can-do’ attitude, jesting with the guys that they’d face just the same – if not more – if they were on a big budget film set; cuts, re-takes and headaches in order to reach some kind of perfection (clutching at straws but it raised a smile nonetheless!).

One notable memory I have is when feeling tremendously disappointed and upset with our circumstances and accountable for its failing, especially when one of the participants – Kevin – eagerly ready with pen and notepad anticipated to write what we were about to demonstrate, only to be once again faced with confusion from Emily and I at another glitch.  I couldn’t help but feel that he must have felt over promised and so under delivered.

Due to time restrictions, we couldn’t edit the material at the workshop with the participants.  A decision was made to set a task for the both us – the facilitators, and participants, to take home the audio clip and edit it separately (the participants would be given audacity and soundcloud guidance with the manuals that were produced before the trip). We would then both post our finished product onto the collective blog to make comparisons, however, not of a competitive nature but more so a comparison of style preference.   Emily and I got to work as soon as we got back to camp. Yet again, clarity came through from painful episodes of trial and error; we were still finding out techniques and solutions long into the night. But alas, we managed to pull together a tidy final version complete with music and without errors.  We’ve given the participants until Tuesday to ideally have their content up the collective blog…. given the problematic issues of internet connection, we might have to hold back a little longer.

Out of today came an awful lot of embarrassment, notes to self that this was a learning process and that some of the best learning comes out of making mistakes and being faced with nasty challenges.  I learnt some fascinating narratives about the division of the Massai region – which resulted in one side motivated and governed by capitalist ideology and the other, more socialist and its consequences.  I grant our hosts and participants total admiration for their story telling and informative minds, I think we’ve all learnt so much about the Kenyan culture. 

This blog is being written two days after the experience and at the time I thought this particular day was by far the most stressful and uncomfortable.  However, at the beginning of this day and because of the day before (day 2) I envisioned an easier one… I felt confident and more prepared.  The workshop began differently than expected; due to a computer glitch, a video that was to be presented to the whole group was shelved and now we were put into smaller groups to facilitate training. Emily and I was now in charge of audio training for a group of four guys; Moses, James, Gideon and Kevin.  We began by explaining in detail what mind-mapping was about, its relevance, followed by the steps we’d be taking for the rest of the day.  The mind-mapping went really well, all four participants had a vast amount of information to give about their background, communities and the issues within.  This was followed by storyboarding which was the most difficult part; we had to condense many stories (as well as exclude a lot of the work from the mind-map) into points which, was challenging.  Reiterating and summarising a political anecdote that was packed and woven with other issues was near on impossible, at times both Emily and I struggled to pull it together.  This in addition to an awareness that we needed to move onto the next step felt pressurised.   Peter came over and pointed out that we should be finding an overall point with a beginning, middle and end to conclude the message the participants wanted to give.  What we had so far was although strong, lacked direction.  Both Emily and I were now trying to organise what the main focus and points should be but when we did, another point would be raised and we’d be back to digressing, meanwhile another participant would leave the room and or look at their phone.  My discomfort with an attempt at cutting any more explaining or reiterated points was excruciating – I felt both stressed and overwhelmed.  I explained this to Peter whilst we broke for lunch – and was advised that we were the facilitators and we needed to assert some direction. After lunch and removing ourselves from the heat, Emily and I took a stronger position in handling this issue and managed to get three themes together and a plan.

This particular day can only be described as painful at times. Nonetheless, I did come away knowing for the next time that the issue of time would need to be highlighted – a lot, and to find the right balance between being chatty and engaged in the stories being told – which can often lead to deviation – and pushing the things forward which might take a little more assertiveness but will lead to a more focussed goal.

Well it’s been a while since my last blog when we were just leaving Nairobi and so much has happened that you are best advised to read the student blogs as they filter through to capture their interpretations of our activities. Internet connectivity is a little hit and miss here and we have been so busy that post blogs is as and when but they are all writing them up…..so they will filter through……eventually.

After leaving Nairobi….we had a 5 hour drive to Kingsway School in Londianni. In the past we’ve taken books collected from kind donators. This time the purpose was to shoot a short film that outlines their need for electricity. This is to form part of a fund raising campaign that will start soon. The pupils and staff at the school were, as always, glad to see us and welcomed us as long lost friends…..the children even remembered the 1,2, 3 Chelsea game we played when taking photos of each class last year and so I happily obliged with a repeat of the game.

After 3 hours that sped by it was time for another 5 hour journey on to Rongo. A large chunk of this was on road under construction…..very bumpy… we eventually arrived at our destination in Rongo and everyone was in bed shortly afterwards…..exhausted but contented with a lovely day in the Londianni sun.

The next morning we awoke to no shower water, which was a shock as we were all rather dirty from the previous day. Some water eventually got through and some had showers of sorts….I splashed around in a few drops of cold water and headed off to meet the Principal, the Deans and staff – this took all morning – before the workshops were to start. Our 10 students working with 20 of theirs. They got into 4 groups – 2 video; 1 audio & 1 photography. Angela in the audio group was leaving us on the second day – which meant Emily was working with her group alone – she did a sterling job. I had hoped to join her and as much as I did help her solve a few major technical problems – as is always the way I was spread across all the groups and other firefighting activities.

Day 2 in Rongo saw quite a few network and technical problems when the students and staff returned from the goldmine village field-trip….for quite some time I was convinced we would not get things finished but despite the major problems they all found workarounds and suddenly the content all started to come together. These guys have been amazing….10 of them and believe me it is draining at times….but they mix playfulness and fun with a professional approach which engages all participants and achieves significant results….these will be posted when we get back to Nairobi because the internet connect is very poor and I can’t solve that……yet ;-).

Day 3 (today) saw us delayed again by water issues and a meeting with the County Governor, scheduled for 10 am seemed doomed. This was reinforced when we arrived at the County Hall at 12 only to find the Governor detained in Nairobi and a bemused staff. Eventually, the Deputy-Governor threw the cabinet out of the room and hosted us……this was polite and he swore that a partnership between University of Brighton & Rongo was a partnership with Migori County…..a little dramatic flourish I thought but very comforting for future collaborations as they seemed genuinely interested to see us all 30 mixed Uni students and all the staff together working on the community media capacity building. At a later date I will write in more detail here about this partnership but with dusk beckoning and mosquitos massing….it is time for spray and dinner. Suffice to say for now that the scope I thought might exist in this partnership has been reinforced by this trip.

That’s enough for now….tomorrow we will be leaving to run some scenarion-based needs assessment workshops which will provide filmic data for our hosts. I doubt I’ll be able to blog again until Sunday….so for now auf wiedersehen and know that the students are doing a great job and whether you’re from UoB or a parent/loved one…..know they are doing us/you proud.