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April 23, 2010CONVICTION is now available On-Demand for Comcast customers in Colorado. Your Colorado CET Documentaries.In March, I completed a short promotional video for International Peace Initiatives, the non-profit group I worked with in Kenya last summer. You can check out the video on youtube, as well as all of my other video posts. Search for my user name, birdonthewing. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kKsZNTUYnU)No trips to Africa on the horizon as yet, but I'm looking for a new opportunity to do meaningful work, either locally or internationally. Having a full time job doesn't keep me from doing additional film and video work! This opportunity is what adds the spice to life!________________________________________________________________________January 2010, Testimonals for the new year:"I really appreciate all the time and energy you have given our projects and the people that are benefiting from them. You are a remarkable woman and I wish you a great safe new year!"Jaiaen Beck, Ancient WaysRegarding a video promo I recently edited for Dan Simmons for his upcoming book, Black Hills: "It's a wonderful, compelling film, a gem of compression and economy. It not only tells the story it shows the story, and in a few minutes brings the viewer to the edge of his seat." Richard Curtis, Literary Agent for Dan Simmons ________________________________________________________________________September 27, 2009 - Tumbuka screened to a Boulder audience at the Moondance Film Festival. Upcoming - Plans are in the works to release an educational dvd of the film and bonus interview clips, along with educational materials, for use at the high school and university level. Look for it in early 2010! ______________________________________________________________________ Tumbuka goes International! KENYA Tumbuka Bloom screened shown at the 2nd Women's International Grassroots Peace Congress in Meru, Kenya August 21-24. I was in Kenya to speak about the film, participate in the Congress, and shoot footage for a new project about women's issues worldwide - Visions of Peace, Voices of Peace. CHINA Tumbuka Bloom also screened during the Africa Culture Festival in Beijing, China in September, sponsored by TouchAfrica. Tatenda Muchiriri, the film's main character, presented the film and engaged in discussion with the audience. He enjoyed the opportunity to represent his home country of Zimbabwe! _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tumbuka Screening In Boulder, Colorado June 14, 2009Sunday, June 14, 20091 p.m. FREE Boulder Public Library 1000 Canyon Blvd., Boulder, CO, USA Approx. 20 minutes running time, to be followed by discussion with the filmmaker Robin Truesdale and Dr. Farai Charumbira Makombe, University of Zimbabwe and Ph.D, Colorado State University ________________________________________________________________________________Tumbuka Premieres in Eugene, Oregon!Tumbuka was screened for its first formal audience April 3 at the HIV/AIDS Conference at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Many thanks to conference organizer Janis Weeks for including the film among the line-up of distinguished speakers and guests! The conference focused on integrating biomedical and sociocultural approaches to HIV/AIDS in Africa, and it was an amazing collection of different perspectives, including medical treatment, social determinants, policy, and the role of non-profits offering aid in African countries. Two days of attending meetings and workshops left me with a much broader sense of the huge HIV/AIDS issue, and also a better understanding of what my role might be in communicating real life stories of people in Africa.It was wonderful to show the film in this highly charged atmosphere with a diverse audience of students, academics, and those from and working in Africa. Amadou Fofana, a professor of language, literature and film at Willamette University, was gracious enough to share in my presentation, giving his critique of Tumbuka and making some very good points about the film. In all, the response was very positive, and I really enjoyed speaking with people after the screening. Now I'm working on getting a Tumbuka website up and running while finalizing the DVD and getting it ready for online sales. If you're interested in purchasing a copy, please look for an announcement of availability around June 1. In Oregon, I had several people recommend that I make the film available for classroom use, both at the secondary school and university level. I'll definitely follow up on this recommendation! I'm also waiting to hear what National Geographic has in mind, now that they've received a copy of the completed film. Thanks for your interest and stay tuned! ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ February 7, 2009 - Tumbuka Film UpdateAn update on the film is long overdue! After being an editor for over 20 years, I should know that things always take at least twice as long to finish as I expect them to! I had expected this project to take a year or less (always the optimist!). Now, two years after submitting the grant to National Geographic All Roads, I'm finally ready to announce the good news... Tumbuka is nearly finished and will be ready for release in about 6 weeks! The edit is 99.9% complete, and Zivanai is almost finished with the musical score, which, by the way, is amazing! Once everything is finalized, I'll have the video professionally re-mastered, then color graded. This is an expensive process, but will enhance the images, making the film very beautiful to watch and experience. The story, characters, and scenery, combined with Zi's moving music, all contribute to a heartfelt, gentle film that will hopefully inspire audiences, leaving them with a new perspective on Zimbabwe. I'm already starting the process of submitting Tumbuka to film festivals, and also hope to have a Tumbuka website up by summer with copies of the film available for sale. Working on this project has consumed much of my thought and energy for the last two years, filling in all the cracks between my professional work at InJoy, my family life, and all of the other tasks I seem to take on in my life. I am so happy to now see the film taking shape outside of my head and body, and am eager to see the film blossom, just as its name suggests, taking a heartfelt message of hope from Zimbabwe to the world. Our children are our opportunity to bloom. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ December 2, 2008 - Tumbuka Film UpdateWell, here it is December, my deadline for finishing the film! I took a six week leave from my full-time job at InJoy Videos during the month of October and half of November so that I could give my full attention to this project. It was an amazing time to sit with all the footage and characters of Tumbuka! Not only was it a productive time for the editing process, but it was rejuvenating personally as well, as I settled into my personal office in the heart of downtown Boulder, walking a few miles each day and concentrating on my own growth as a filmmaker. I loved it!The bonus was taking part in the Adventure Film Festival during this time, seeing some wonderful films, and also meeting other filmmakers with similar interests as my own. Filmmaking is not easy. And there's usually no income potential in the endeavor. Those who choose to create films are typically inspired by their subjects and their desire to communicate creatively. It's a hearty bunch of folks who are passionate about what they do! Conviction had a good turnout at the festival and positive response, making me (and my fellow production team members) proud once again! So now, where am I with Tumbuka? Oh so close to completion! I felt like I had come to a good point with the editing a couple of weeks ago. After recording narration with the beautiful and talented Helen Masvike-Masango, I was ready to run the draft by a group of co-workers for their feedback the day before Thanksgiving. Their overall comments were positive, and they also provided me with essential critique that illustrated some details that I had lost the objectivity to see. Their suggestions were excellent and very well-founded, revealing to me what now needs to be done on this last leg of the editing journey. So I'm back at it for one last push, hoping to finalize the script in the next week, record new narration, and then turn the piece over to Zivanai Masango, an amazing musician from Zimbabwe who, I'm sure, will add even more depth and emotion with his magnificent music compositions. He's scoring the film with all original material, and I'm SO excited to hear his contribution! I think we're going to make my deadline of "end of December," at least with the finished edit. There will still be work to do on the master, as all video will need to be recaptured at the proper resolution and frame rate, then color graded, with audio correction as well. I'm planning to send an unmastered copy to National Geographic by the first of January to review. I also want to begin film festival submissions as soon as possible. I'm ready for this film to take wing! So check back soon for more information about completion date, screenings, etc. It's coming soon! _______________________________________________________________________October 28, 2008 - Conviction Film Festival UpdateConviction is screening at the Boulder Adventure Film Festival Nov 8!You can check out the schedule at: http://www.adventurefilm.org/files/pdfs/boulder08program.pdf ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October 15, 2008 - Tumbuka Film UpdateAs I work on editing this film, inspiration continues to come from many places. This weekend, I met a Zimbabwean man, Pishai, who had much to say about cultural issues in Zimbabwe and the world. We discussed gender issues, traditional social structure, and how the Zimbabwean culture is continually shaped and affected by western influences, both positive and negative. My thanks to Pishai for his perspective and insight!Yesterday, I received an email from Tafadzwa, my friend and Tumbuka crew member. I was very moved by his poetic words that describe his experience working with me on the film, and also what life is like in Zimbabwe at this time. I think it's appropriate to share some of Tafadzwa's message: Mama there was a time when you were only a faceless name in my mind, like to all the other villagers you were ‘murungu’, shona for white person. I had not met you then and felt the warmth of your hand in mine, I hadn’t shared sadza with you and watched you chew and swallow meat cooked from the same pot from which I ate. I hadn’t seen you laugh when you were happy and cry when you were dismayed. but after those few days when you shared your life with us, I realized that beyond the skin colour and the language barrier we are all human, when you pinch us we both cry and when we tickle us we both laugh. it is that realization that I treasure the most from tumbuka it was a time when my heart bloomed and I learnt a kind of love I never thought or dreamt existed. its only a pity that things here are so bad that most of us are operating in survival mode, we have scattered and dispersed each in search for a better place but that does not mean that we have ceased to care about each other. Mama we are like children shipwrecked on an island in Lord of the Flies and as hunger sets in we fight to survive. I hate what this is doing to us……I don’t even know were Kenny and talent are ,and all I know is that tatenda is in SA but I don’t even know if he is well or ill….all this ignorance makes me feel like I don’t even know myself, I doubt my dreams ,my principles and myself. All the uncertainty here is just too much….you are never sure if you will have a meal tommorow,or whether you will be able to walk in the streets …its like we are riding on a wild horse clinging on for dear life and only hoping and praying that the feral horse will become tame and calm with time. please, please mama don’t doubt our affection for you , coz amidst all this chaos the only firm ground is faith, friendship and love. I hate this poverty more than I love wealth and I only ask that you understand us as we struggle to understand ourselves. Thank mama for you love, here it is more scarce than bread. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October 5, 2008 It was such a pleasure to again spend time with Sisters Carol and Ardeth this week! We missed having Sister Jackie with us. She is home in Washington state and did not make the trip this time. There were several screenings and discussions in Denver, Colorado Springs and Boulder, and I was again inspired by these women. Many thanks for their steadfast beliefs and convictions!_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ September 29, 2008 - Conviction screening in BoulderSisters Ardeth Platte and Carol Gilbert are visiting Colorado and will be in Boulder on Wednesday, Oct 1.A film screening and discussion sponsored by the CU Women's Resource Center will be held at 4:00 in the Humanities Building on the University of Colorado campus. Please contact me if you would like more information. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ September 23, 2008 - Tumbuka Film UpdateA condensed 11-minute version of Tumbuka screened to an audience of about 250 people in Tacoma, Washington on July 5 this summer. The event was Zimfest, the annual Zimbabwean Music Festival. A fun-filled three-day weekend of concerts, workshops, community conversations and more, Zimfest is the largest annual gathering in North America of students, teachers, performers, and fans of Zimbabwean music. Tumbuka, a film about the children of Zimbabwe, received a resounding ovation. Until then, it’s back to the editing room! Notes from my journal - shooting in Zimbabwe 2007 (in reverse order)
October 1, 2007 at 7:24 pm Returning home, moving in time and space away from Africa, is an emotional transition. I sit and think about individuals, humanity, society, all the big issues that are easy to drown out when I'm home in my own little world. Now I face them outright. Somehow, I have to mentally try to resolve the inequalities of the world and find my place among them. It's very difficult. There are chasms between people of different cultures, different races. I am privileged, while people that I love are struggling with daily hardship. I can't make it better. Oh sure, I can help out in my little way, but real change is beyond my control. In Zimbabwe, I became Amai Tumbuka, Mother of the Blossom, to my new young friends. I had not felt that I held a general maternal role before, but that feeling is now very strong. I've always been proud of being mother to my own wonderful boys. I guess at this stage in my life, being 46, it's natural to begin stretching a mother's arms beyond my own family. It's a gift and responsibility - of being a woman. Africa brings out that innate feeling. It is the motherland, after all. In Zimbabwe, I stood out so vividly as a white person. I felt different than those around me, even though I also felt the same as a human being. It's a strange feeling to be isolated by skin color, eye color, and other physical features. It's humbling. But with African friends, I never felt that way. Personal connection changes everything. In a few hours, I board my final flight home to Denver. I can't wait to see Charley and the boys! It will be wonderful to be home. Back to work on Wednesday. Life will hit me full in the face! I'm sure I'll be looking at photos and reliving those precious moments in Zimbabwe daily. And of course, I have MUCH to do now to begin editing Tumbuka. AUGH! So much amazing footage to sort through, organize, and craft into a film that speaks truly of that wonderful culture. I feel a huge responsibility to those who will be represented. It is a daunting task, but also an opportunity and a blessing that I'm so grateful for.
Kesse and I were to be picked up this morning at 5:30. As I lay in bed slightly awake, I heard a car horn outside, a radio blaring, then someone rattling the gate. Voices. I checked my watch. 4:42am! It couldn't possibly be our ride this early! I woke up Kesse (who was not amused), heard Eva going out to the gate, threw on a skirt, and walked outside to see the truck, Tatenda, and Talent all smiles. What are you doing here so early? It's better to be early than late, said Talent. So Kesse and I motivated. Eva had already put a candle in the bathroom and was preparing bath water, so I told her no bath. She did make us tea, which we gulped down. Kenny and Tafadzwa showed up close to 5:30 (right on time!). Kenny brought two of his paintings for Kesse and me. I was very touched! So here we were again, the crew and the truck. Instead of Harry, Rainius was driving. I got a blanket for those riding in the back: Kesse, Kenny and Tafadzwa. We started off, and I asked Talent if they had been up all night. Talent had gone to Tatenda's at 2 am. They were working on the truck: new air filter to hopefully correct the problem we'd been having for the last two days. The truck basically had no power and would only move at a snails' pace. So things were rolling right along for the first few minutes. Then putter, putter the truck began to die. Kesse had the funniest expression on her face. Uh oh! We pulled to the side of the road and all got out. But then Rainius got it started and we piled back in and started toward the airport again. Not too much further, it began to die again. Putt, putt, putt. Talent was talking to Harry on the phone giving him our location. Just as we sputtered to a stop, here came Harry to the rescue in his car! What a welcome sight! We couldn't all fit in the car, so quick goodbyes to Kenny and Tafadzwa. Tatenda, Talent, Kesse and I piled into the car and Harry sped us on our way. It was now 6:10, and I was only slightly concerned about making my 7:30 flight. We finally arrive at the airport around 6:30, find a parking space, and walk into the airport to find lines of people everywhere. I discover the computers are down and that BA has just started checking people in by hand. Wow. I'm at the end of a line of 200 or more people. It isn't moving. Talent and Tatenda stand with me for over an hour as we inch forward. Kesse and Harry wait somewhere else. At about 7:30, surprise! In walk Kenny and Tafadzwa! They've made it in the truck with Rainius! Big smiles. Kesse finds her que and stands for her flight to Nairobi. One of the clips on her backpack has broken, so Tafadzwa tries to repair it. I guess they got it fixed - I hope! I finally get to the counter at about 8:30. All the papers are being hand-written. The moment of truth - how much does my big red bag weigh? It's filled with mbiras and sculpture for Ancient Ways. Talent has predicted 50 kg and I'm thinking I'll have to take stuff out to get it under the weight limit. I set it on the scale - 32.2 kg! Whew! The man lets me slide. I have my ticket! By now, Kesse has gotten her boarding pass and has said goodbye to all of us and headed for her 9:00 flight. Now it's my turn to really say goodbye for the last time. The boys and I share a group hug, heads together. Now I am Amai Tumbuka and these are my sons. I couldn't be more proud! I also say goodbye to Harry and Rainius, and then it's time to go. Now I can let my tears flow as I watch them all walk through the airport doors.
So one more day before I leave and Kesse goes on her way to Kenya. I'll stay a night in London - at a nice hotel! What a luxury. Will post more from there.
Today, I got to experience public transportation: a comby bus. That's short for community bus, and they are about the size of a VW minibus. Amazingly, about 20 or more people can squeeze into them, and so you have all these packed little white buses all over the place stopping to pick up and drop off people along the way. We were walking to Tatenda's, about a 20-minute walk, and decided to catch one of these combies. It's actually an efficient form of transportation, maximizing fuel efficiency and practically giving people door to door service. I'm not sure the cost - I was with Tatenda, Talent and Kenny, and they made the payment. Quite the cultural experience! Individually owned cars are rare here. I must point out how much I stand out here in this area. White people are not seen here, so Kesse and I are spectacles. Today, little kids were yelling "marungu!" (white) to get my attention. It is not meant disrespectfully (I'm told), but is just how we are referred to. I know we attract attention, but never have I experienced discomfort, only curiosity. The sun is big and orange in the low sky as it is almost sunset. Soon it will be dark, and no electricity o light the night. At Cosmas' house, we've been without electricity the entire time. Just before we arrived in Zimbabwe, the local transformer blew and it has not been repaired. Fortunately, Winfilda (Cosmas' sister) has electricity just three blocks over, so I've been taking my laptop and camera batteries there to charge overnight. Tomorrow morning we go back to Mhondoro. There I'll be able to use the solar charger for recharging, thank goodness! Nothing comes easy though - the Center is quite a walk from our hut, about 25 minutes away, and it is locked after sunset until 8:00 am, so I have to plan when to drop off and collect my things there. Sounds easy enough, but we have so much gear to carry - 2 cameras, tripod, audio recorder, microphones, etc - that adding a laptop to the mix makes it a haul indeed. We do have a truck most of the time. The roads are bumpy and very dusty, and the wind has been an issue, blowing dust into all the gear. And it's quite a comedy to figure out what is needed when, who has keys to the Center, when we are meeting who where - a bit like Who's On First! I'm waiting for Muda and Patricia to get back to the house - they've been gone all day. We are thinking of going to the Book Café tonight, but not sure that will happen. One never knows what to expect here! Once we are in the rural area, we'll not have access to Internet. So I might not post again until next Friday when we return to Harare. My flight to London leaves Sunday morning, Sept. 30. Just over a week to finish shooting the project! Once in London, I hope to have wireless at the hotel (along with a shower, coffee, and other luxuries!!)
So Kesse and I and the crew have been going strong since we arrived in Mhondoro Saturday. This process of shooting a film here is slowing emerging. Here, schedules morph continuously, meaning we often plan for one series of events, but end up with another altogether. It's working, though, as we adjust for whatever happens in the day. The sights are stunning, everywhere a photo or scene that I want to capture. Yesterday, we were up and out by 5:30, so the sunrise was just beginning. We went to a boy's hut, Lazarus, who is about 16, to film him preparing for school. He cares for his elderly grandmother who is blind in one eye. She lives in a simple hut, sits on the floor, is able to do very little work for herself, so Lazi comes by each morning and prepares sadza for breakfast, draws the water from an open well (very scary - I asked if anyone had ever fallen in and he shook his head no), and bathes before heading off to school, about a 5km walk. That's about 3 miles. Most of the kids walk long distances to get to school. It is a different world than our children know! I love the mornings in the rural areas! Everyone is up and out. The colors from the sunrise are simple breathtaking, hues of gold and orange, and people are walking from here to there, everyone busy with work or school. We gave Lazi a ride to the school - it would have taken him over an hour to walk there, I imagine, and he does this every day. Home too, of course. Then we spent time in two classrooms as Tatenda and other crewmembers spoke to the students. Picture a simple cinderblock-type building with concrete floor, simple wooden tables and benches, a black board across the front wall, and 25 or so students. In this situation, the inspiration for learning has to come from within. It takes a charismatic teacher and eager students for this environment to produce successful learners. It's really amazing. We were at Matanha Secondary School, which the headmaster told me has 500 students. The school is made of long white buildings, a series of classrooms in rows that each open to a courtyard. The kids were intrigued with us Murungus (whites), and loved the cameras. Later, we had our lunch at the Muchiriri home, as we do everyday at 1:00, and met a young mbira player named Cosmas. He was very quiet, didn't speak English. It was beautiful to watch him play in the light coming into the doorway of the kitchen hut. Tatenda's two little nephews danced and danced, like all kids, showing off! It was fun. We also interviewed Tatenda's mother. She told about how she had five boys, all born by cesarean, and that Tatenda had come along unexpectedly after getting her tubes tied. Very interesting to hear her experiences. She's a very sweet and amazing woman! I have to mention the women here. They are incredibly strong, both physically and mentally. They really carry the burden of all the work, particularly now that most men are unemployed. Our housekeeper at the hut,Wini, cranks heavy buckets full of water from the well each day, then carries then where needed. I can barely pick the bucket up! I see the women tending the children, walking with babies on their backs while they carry huge parcels on their heads. It's awe-inspiring! So back to the project - we have a great crew that I want to mention by name. Tatenda is our Producer and also the main character in the film. Tafadzwa is the Assistant Producer. He is a law student at the University of Zimbabwe, and has had good suggestions on the shoots. He will also appear in the film, as we interviewed him about some of the issues were covering. Talent is our logistics coordinator. He's a great communicator and yesterday showed his teaching skills as he spoke to students at Matanha. Kenny is running second camera. This is his first time to shoot this type of video, but he has a natural eye for things. We're going to go over some of the video today to critique and discuss shooting styles and tips. Deni is our activities coordinator. He has organized much of the marimba in the community in the last year. I met Deni last year and was impressed with his musical talent (good hosho!). It's great to see him working now with the kids. They are awesome! Grace is our assistant, making sure the crew is well fed. She's a biochemical student in her last year at University. Hari is our driver. He's quiet, patient, and dependable. I wish you could see the scene as we load the truck with gear and people and bounce along the bumpy dirt roads (or sometimes across fields) in the bush! Most of the time there are three or four people riding in back. It's normal here to see huge amounts of people in vehicles, so I guess we fit right in (except for Kesse and me, who attract a lot of attention by our skin color!) A quick funny story: on the way out to Mhondoro last Saturday, we came to a police roadblock (common here). The policewoman looked in and saw Kesse and me and asked where we were going. Hari said we were going to Mhondoro. She asked 'why are you taking white women to Mhondoro?' Someone in the back of the truck said we were married to family members and they were taking us home to meet the family. (this was all translated to us after the fact). The police woman laughed and laughed and waved us off. funny!
Kesse is here, a friend and assistant from Boulder. We had confusion over her arrival, causing her to wait for a few hours before we finally connected and picked her up, but now we are here and ready to leave for Mhondoro tomorrow morning. The children will present us with a welcome performance that I'm very excited to see! It's not likely that I'll have email access for a few days, but all is well so far, and will update as soon as possible. Zvakanaka!
Not much to report about film preps, other than that I'm constantly thinking of film styles, possible shots, story lines, etc. I feel that in a situation like this, I'm primarily there to observe and capture moments in time, allowing the story to tell itself, in a way. But I have to be ever conscious of what story is being told, by whom, and how the audience is going to receive the information that is presented. As an American, I know that I'll see things in a particular way. But our Zimbabwean crew will be there to keep the perceptions balanced. As a condition of the grant, this is to be an indigenous story, and I hope to truly honor that as I assume an almost mentor role for the filmmaking students as we work together.
Tatenda Muchiriri is a 21 year-old university student in Zimbabwe. Weekdays, he hustles to and from classes in the bustling city of Harare, mingling with the hundreds of bodies who crowd the streets and walkways of Zimbabwe's capitol city. His enthusiasm for education, and theater arts in particular, are obvious in his movements, rapid speech and gleaming expression. He spends considerable time each day at the Internet Café typing assignments, writing plays and poetry, and developing ideas that will travel with him to his rural village on the weekend.Friday comes and Tatenda catches the evening bus for the two-hour ride to Mhondoro. Before long, the city has melted away. Outside the window, the African savannah stretches into the sunset, and the horizon becomes dotted with the pointed silhouettes of thatch-roofed huts. People pass on foot, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and occasionally, a group of cinder block buildings flashes by the window - beer halls where men congregate each day. Finally, the bus stops, and off steps Tatenda, his knapsack overflowing with books and papers. As the bus pulls away, dust swirling in its wake, Tatenda starts down the dirt road that leads home. As he nears his family's hut, two young boys, his nephews, run to greet him. With big smiles, the three enjoy their well-rehearsed reunion, and the children look to see if their uncle has brought them a gift. The sun is about to set, and as the three boys enter the hut, the women exclaim their pleasure at seeing Tatenda home again for the weekend. This begins of the story of a young man who brings his passion for learning home to his village to share with the young people of his community. Tatenda Muchiriri is a shining light in the face of poverty, AIDS and insufficient education for the village youth. His enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and ideas has inspired him to implement a program for boys that aims to shrink the chasm of gender inequality in his country. MACHAPRO is his vision: Male Chastity Program. It's a club for village boys that teaches them about health and gender equality in a fun, creative environment. Tatenda believes that AIDS and HIV can be curtailed in his stricken country by encouraging male chastity and greater respect for women. The village boys are eager to participate in the weekend meetings that involve discussions, games, dramatic plays, and music. This short documentary, 25 to 30 minutes, will follow Tatenda as he interacts with the boys and young men of his village combining fun and learning with fundamental change. These gatherings, rich in sights and sounds, will be woven into a story about how health and social issues of the day challenge traditional Zimbabwean values and belief systems. The film's title Tumbuka reflects the growth that takes place among the boys as they blossom into adulthood, as well as Zimbabwe's transformation into a new age of sexual and social responsibility. Tatenda, (the name means thankful in the Shona language), is a dynamic main character with plenty of energy and enthusiasm to drive the story forward. In addition, the individuals who take part in MACHAPRO activities will revel themselves, their cultural traditions, and their outlook regarding their own health and that of their country. Set in a village where generations have maintained traditional gender division, the film will raise questions like: Can society adjust to meet the demands of changing times in order to remain healthy and strong? Will this small village effort make a difference in the grand scheme? And importantly, how do the elders react to these new, non-traditional concepts? Are there lessons to be learned by both the old and the young? The sun is beginning its ascent overhead into the wide-open sky. The roosters herald the new day, and voices are heard as children begin their morning walk to school. Women come from the well carrying water jars on their heads. A new day begins in rural Zimbabwe. Class begins at the university. Students take their seats, including Tatenda, once again in the role of student. His identity has flip-flopped again in its weekly cycle city dweller to villager, student to teacher and back again. In either situation, he is a proud Zimbabwean acknowledging his past, looking toward the future, and inspiring others to do the same. |
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