from Obat Masira
FILM FOR TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURE IN THE COUNTIES
Poetry is vivid, enjoyable and memorable and I quote my poem. titled fostering local talents
POEM
FOSTERING LOCAL TALENTS
We salute the first Anniversary
Of a public utility we all admire
The American Corner – fit for celebration
By enthusiastic junior and adult readers
We salute the American Embassy
For refurbishing the junior readers section
Of the Kenya National Library Services – Kisumu Branch
To make reading and writing smooth
We salute the American Embassy
And the Kenya Film Commission
For having mooted a great idea-
A film Industry in the region
The Lake Victoria Basin Film Makers Guild (Kenya)
We salute the American Embassy
To avail a great intellectual opportunity
To Nyanza, Western and Rift Valley Provinces
To turn the Lake Region into a centre of excellence
Specifically in the area of film making
To maintain international film making standards
We salute the American Embassy
For coming to our assistance readily
We thank you for having provided
Training services in film making
Plus according the American corner with
Certain vital facilities
The Film Guild signed an M.O.U with the
Kisumu Area Library
To make possible the American Corner
Management Board
This has made us very proud.
We can now smile for a thing well done
The pride to read and write
The pride of a living, vibrant museum
That could offer boundless open windows
For a region endowed with talents
Alongside picturesque filming locations
As recipes for a vibrant film industry
Which is on spot and ripe for development
But who can assist us to mine this gold?
Gold in vast untapped, potential human talent?
If not our major benefactor-the American Embassy
Who will provide us with skills, and
Who will give us professional equipment?
Besides those who have all along mentored us?
We salute the American Embassy
For its magnanimity and her big heart
In all the assistance it has accorded us
And we wish to affirm our cooperation
To make our great dreams a reality
Thanks to Michael Rennanbeger, The American
Ambassador,
Madam Ellen the Cultural Attaché
And our friends in film making and cultural development.
Who foster the extension of our cooperation?
We thank the America Embassy
For fostering this cross-generational endeavour
To open window for talents development
To accord us a grand stand in excellence
That we can compete internationally
To highlight vital aspects of our society
The new America -Kisumu dream
Kudos Madam Ellen.
Kudos the American Embassy
Kudos the new American –Kisumu dream.
By Akech Obat Masira
INTRODUCTION: THE NEW AMERICAN –KISUMU DREAM
Quoting former President;
John F Kennedy the 34th American president;
Stated this in Ottawa Canada in 1962:
“Geography has made us neighbours.
History has made us friends.
We have shared common values.
The past aspiration for the future
Our future and
The future of all mankind.”
The American corner has made us neighbours.
And American corner has made us friends.
Through American corner,
We have shared common values
And common aspirations
“Writing like all representation is never innocent To write about anything is explicitly or implicitly, to delimit, uphold, expand or challenge how it is perceived and constituted. Never is writing ever natural. We write from a particular position, inhabit particular discourse, which the very act of writing itself seeks to validate.”
The Lake Victoria Basin Film Makers Guild (Kenya) was founded to facilitate the training
of stakeholders in the film industry and equip them with professional skills in scripting and production film in a channel for the promotion marketing and distribution of films from the region. Lastly to identify, preserve and promote filming sites within the region
Our vision is to make Lake Region a centre of excellence in film making. Our mission is to produce competent professionals capable of producing films that match International standards.
I here quote the 6th American President John Quincy Adams. He stated that “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”
The creation of American Corner has inspired our children. It has prompted us to dream more, to learn more. The American Corner has made reading exciting, enjoyable and pleasurable for the children, learning through audio-visuals has promoted active reading for the children. “What an investment for the children?”
The Lake Victoria Basin Film Makers Guild(Kenya) and the Kisumu Area Library signed a memorandum of understanding to manage resources at the American Corner related to artistic cultural and film making. As a result of the M.O.U the American Corner Management Board was established. The Board seeks to create a forum where noble ideas and talents are recognised and be rewarded The 1st Regional Film /Theatre Awards is planned for the December, 2010.
The Film Guild came into being during the 1st International film workshop in September, 2009 coordinated and sponsored by the US. Embassy and the Kenya Film Commission. We are also today celebrating the birth of the Film Guild and the American Corner Management Board. It has been a long journey. Thanks to the American Embassy.
THE AMERICAN CORNER MANAGEMENT BOARD.
The Board comprises of the seven personalities drawn from a diverse background, mainly, from the Maseno University, Kenya National Library Services and the Lake Victoria Basin Film Makers Guild (Kenya) members are:
Mr. Moses Imbayi (Chairman) KNLS
Mr. Tobias Odhiambo Oganda (Vice Chairman) KNLS
Mr. Akech Obat Masira(Coordinator)The Guild
Mr. David Onyango Ondiek (Secretary) the Guild
Prof John Midega member (Maseno University)
Mr. P. Gitau member (KNLS)
Mr. Adams Anyona member (The GUILD)
ARTS AND THE AMERICAN CORNER
Art will play a critical role and generate community participation in the Library’s affairs bringing people to the library for serious public discourse through the medium of public talks, story telling, poetry, workshop ,festivals and exhibitions.
Arts are integral to life of the traditional African society, giving worth to individual and community and therefore reinforcing their identity within their communities. Arts as opposed to the other medium have profound bearing on all aspects of our lives, from spiritual to mundane.
Arts, have since time immemorial have been related to the sustainability of society in its various manifestations. Education, access to it and its practice are vital components of any working society. Education is a vehicle that allows for the development of society and it’s enhancement in various ways.
The Film Guild and the Board seek to promote good writing criteria known as the four C’s- CLEAR, CONCISE, COMPLETE and COURTEOUS. EDUCATION plays an important role in the transfer and transformation of cultural values and practices and Paulo Freire stated Literacy therefore…….. is to understand what one reads and to write what one understand”
The film form will be utilised in the transfer and transformation of education and cultures in our countries.
Then what is film?
A film is a story that comprises of two critical issues that is the DESIRE and the DANGER, what then is desire? Desire is human kind’s yearning for happiness, while the danger is something that threatens life. And emotion is actually the inner driving force that powers action. Thus, the drive of desire is life’s blood of every film and the danger the heartbeat.
THE BOARD strives to promote film industry as new form of employment creation for the youth. This industry needs support of the well wishers. For the films to have effectiveness, they must have freshness, dramatic implications and emotions. We would want to tell our stories candidly and authoritatively of the stories not told before. Films enabling us to learn more and we will do more.
We are happy today as we are celebrate the 1st Anniversary of the American Corner, the American Embassy has inspired us and have made us to dream more. The former president John Adams Quincy stated before. The regional film industry no longer is a daunting task, now that American Embassy has come to our aid. We need to harness the local talents. The new industry is now going to be realisable.
The region is endowed with unique and spectacular filming sites. The Board needs documentation facilities to realise its vision and mission. Film and theatre have become major forces in the education and development. The industry will go along way in empowering the people with critical information, opportunities and chance to examine attitudes through active learning methods. “The art provide a whole range of feelings and its knowledge is as a culture bound as language.”
CHILDREN AND STORYTELLING CULTURE
American corner has created a forum where children could tell stories more often than not. Stories have an amazing ability to stimulate our imagination. Through stories we travel to distant places and see strange and wonderful sites.
“We take part in adventures and feel the joys and sorrows that are a part of them.”
Story telling includes fables, fairy tales, folk tales, myths and legends.
The story is one of the oldest human inventions.
EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE READING SKILLS
The American Corner Management Board seeks to improve reading skills among children through criteria known as reading efficiency index (R.E.I) we intend to work on the rate and comprehension
INTERNATIONAL FILM WORKSHOP
The FILM GUILD and the Management Board express their sincere appreciation to the American Embassy for having coordinated and facilitated the two international film workshops last year the local film makers in the region. Maseno University was also a beneficiary of the workshop. We yearn for more stimulating workshops. The workshops will enhance our skills in film making points with pictures instead of struggling vainly to translate images into verbiage.
Our American film facilitator’s last year were Prof. M.K. Asante, Mr. Scott Galloway, Madam Erin Persley and lastly, Mr. Giancalos Esposito.
Drama, like all other arts forms is ideological, conveys values which either questions or support those prevailing in the society, more than that, drama is not only a product of society but created to influence that very society “asserted Prof. C.J. Odhiambo.”
The FILM GUILD and the Board will utilise effectively the four powers of human communication namely, reading, listening, writing and speaking. The film industry will thrive through quality scripting and new film productions.
PROPOSED PROGRAMMES
The Board and the GUILD have lined up programmes for the American corner. These activities are planned for both children and adults as from October to December 2010
THE MAGAZINE
Their is need to establish a new magazine to promote creative expressions. It will act as a vehicle for written exchange between counties and international artistes, film makers, children demonstrating and encouraging regional tourism.
THE WORKSHOP
TOPICS
The children’s literature: The gender question
The role of media in the promotion of reading culture among children
Film scripting and production
THE FESTIVALS
Children’s festivals of reading and creativity
Regional drama festivals
Story telling and poetry festivals
THE PUBLIC TALKS
Monthly public talks on topical issues to promote awareness on good governance, gender equity and development.
FILM/THEATRE AWARDS
To recognize and reward local film makers for their exemplary works in creativity and film making.
THE EXHIBITION
To host photo and arts exhibitions to a wider public
THE CULTURAL EXCHANGE
The Film Guild and the Board seeks to explore means and ways of establishing cultural exchange programmes with other stakeholders nationally and internationally – A forum for exchange of styles and techniques.
THE CONCLUSION
In conclusion I here quote a famous Japanese philosopher who stated that “The creative mind will do wonderful thing but unless the public attaches value to what has been created, they will always be reduced to toys and jokes. It’s important for those who create ideas, products and unique services, to ensure that the people see value in their creation .This calls marketing and publicity to be realised so that what we do are not reduced to toys and jokes
We are also confident that through the American Embassy our creation will not be reduced to toys and jokes. The film Guild and the Board would like to utilise the power of persuasion and words to promote book culture in Kisumu city and beyond by making the library not only as place of borrowing and reading but also a place for cultural and artistic expressions – A place where discussion, discourse and exchange of views thrives.
The Board will host bi-monthly meetings to review and assess creativity and cultural development. We hope our partnership will flourish and yield sweet fruits for the counties.
Lastly, I would also like to quote the 44th American president Barrack Obama in is speech he presented to the Chicago Council of Global Affairs on the 23rd April, 2007 and he stated that “This was the time when we brought opportunity to those forgotten corners of the world. And this was the time when we renewed the America that has led generations of weary travellers from all over the world to find opportunity and liberty and hope and hope on our doorstep “We the Guild and the Board states here that the American Embassy has bought opportunity and hope on our door step through the creation of the American Corner.
Mahtma Gandhi is a great philosopher once said “You must be the change you wish to see in the world. “ The American corner is the new change from illiteracy to literacy makes the library a living museum a new city where residents value books and cultural expressions. This is the Kisumu we yearned for – the Kisumu we want. We are a new family. As a family we must stand firmly. Let us light up the new American – Kisumu dream.
END
By Akech Obat Masira
The Chairman
Lake Victoria Basin Film Makers Guild (Kenya)
The Coordinator
American Corner Management Board
Presented during the 1st Anniversary of the American Corner at the Kisumu Area Library on the 29th September, 2010
Contact:
Email: obatmasira@yahoo.com
Tel. +254726164954
Web: http/misangoarts.blogspot.com