Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the support, word-spreading and contributions that you’ve sent so far, we’re definitely feeling (and appreciating) the love!
This week as energy was sagging just a little bit, one of my actors shared their experience of being here in the US and watching the PEV (Post Election Violence) play out on TV, feeling completely hopeless and helpless – voiceless. As the world saw “yet another African country bite the dust” some of us saw something else: we saw a population so frustrated by being consistently mistreated and overlooked, and unfortunately that frustration played out in such a tragic manner.
Young people are certainly fighting a lot harder and getting smarter about having their needs met and voices heard (as was seen with the peaceful Constitutional voting which took place a few months back) but there’s plenty to be done. The raw and disturbing images from PEV are still very fresh in the world’s mind. What isn’t fresh (or shown at all) are the images of the multitude of young Africans who have been and continue to reach across ethnic and economic lines, working tirelessly to create space for unity and justice for EVERYONE. This film is an ode to those people.
We have about a week left in our campaign, we have art and sound designers in Brooklyn and Kenya collaborating to create the perfect visual and audio environments, my Director of Photography and I are discussing shots and shades for the film, and the actors are researching and conference-calling to make sure that they bring their A-game to the table. We’re excited to be working on this piece and would love to invite you in to join us in making this happen! The smallest contributions count so please don’t feel that anything you have to offer is insignificant: IT ISN’T. If you and/or everyone you know pitched in just $10, that would go a long way in getting our voices back. Think of it as a socially-artistic throat lozenge!
Check us out here and spread the word!
Always and with appreciation,
Ekwa