Page 73 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 5
P. 73
AFRIKAN ARTS
In 2013, there was a crisis in Ki-
responsibility for young Afrikans bra, there was an internation-
to be able to tell their own sto-
ries. Young filmmakers in Afrika al pressman who gave a citizen
need to create content and tell money to go and buy petrol to
their own stories not European
stories.’ start a fire so that they could
get a story to tell outside there.
But do the youth in Kibra
know who they are?
They haven’t understood. They
Kibra to go to a university and KES 200 (US$ 2) buy them
know they are Afrikans but for attend a course that costs KES drugs, they become wild. We
them, I don’t think it means any- 200,000 (US$2,000). That’s why need to create an environment
thing, though for a few people, it
at ShutterfilmFoundation we say that is friendly to everyone.
means a lot. That’s the biggest
we welcome everyone. We help
responsibility of art, to make
them understand the purpose What has been the input of
sure we create an environment of art and their responsibility as
whereby, a filmmaker can tell youth. We say to them, ‘We still the government itself?
our own stories. In Kibra every All I can say is our late MP did
celebrate our freedom fighters something that was so great.
day, trust me if you’re a filmmak-
today, but we are forgetting one He was emphasizing on edu-
er you can be able to tell great
thing, they played their part, you cation, building infrastructure
stories.
also need to play your part. You and schools. But for the MCAs
have questions to answer for the it’s a big mess, it’s a platform for
How do you tell a great sto- coming generation’s lives. They
ry if you don’t know who will ask you, “What did you do to someone to earn a living and
escape from poverty. That’s why
you are? protect us from whatever we are in Kibra over the weekends you
Exactly! That means we need facing in our current situation?”’ can see a 12-16 year old girl out
to mentor more people in order
the whole night, walking with
for the youth to be able to under- No one is teaching the young boys and going for some
stand themselves, because the youth, that’s why when parties. That means that’s a very
future is the youth. If they don’t
elections nonsense comes big disaster ahead. There’s this
understand themselves, what
around they go to the youth trend in Kibra of teenage pros-
do you expect? You can expect
and exploit them. titution but people are not see-
to have the same reputation. ing that. We are in a situation
You can’t tell someone from They go to the youth, pay them
SHUTTERFILMFOUNDATION NUBIAN PROJECT heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika | 73
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