Community video is a form of citizens journalism that is appropriate for communities with low levels of literacy, media that is made in, for and by the local community.
Paradox in Paradise: A Goan story in IndiaUnheard
posted by -Stella Paul on Friday, June 18th, 2010To the world , Goa is a land of sea, sun and sand. But there are untold stories of deprivation and neglect. Devidas, a Community Correspondent of Video Volunteers‘ Community News Service IndiaUnheard brings us one of those unheard stories.
Goa, primarily known as a land of sand and sun, also has some beautiful forests. Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary in Cancona of South Goa is one of them. For centuries, this forest has been the home of hundreds of Velip tribals. Devidas Gaonkar, a Community Correspondent is one of them.
In recent years Goa has seen unprecedented economic growth. While the government attributes this to tourism boom, locals say a lot of the money is coming from the flourishing real estate and mining business, most of which is unplanned and illegal.
The tribals of Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary have gained little out of these developments. In fact, several of them have lost their livelihood since the Forest Act’96 came in force which restricted the tribals’ movement inside the forest area. Adding to this, now, is building of dozens of new temples through diversion of funds allocated to develop the villages.
The temples, built by a group of people who will soon be in the board of temple trust and hence share the money donated by devotees – a big business these days- are being built inside Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary. “There were enough number of temples already in our area. These were small shrines, very simple in structure, but for ages we worshipped there. Now suddenly they are pulling down these old temples and building big structures,” says Devidas.”
The current population of Cotigao is about 4 thousand. For such a large number of people there is only one healthcare center with just one male nurse and no doctors. There’s also no higher secondary schools. The drinking water is supplied only for 1 hour a day. Says Devidas, “In past 5 years the village panchayat has spent 11 lakhs, which is 50% of it’s total budget, only on building new temples. With that money we could have schools, better water supply system and better health care”, says Devidas.
But who are these builders? And where is the money coming from?
“They are from the local panchayat and the money that they spend are actually for village development. But temples are not going to develop our villages. Some of these temples which are complete, host fairs and other events. Makeshift shops come up during these events and money paid by them going to the temple trust. The trust also collects a lot of donations. The temples use loudspeakers. So we, the forest people have no development, but just noise and pollution.”
This year, on May 3, Video Volunteers launched India’s first Community News Service ‘IndiaUnheard’ and Devidas, a Community Correspondent of the news service has started bringing to our view, unheard stories of his communities such as this. With that, there is finally hope of hearing real community voices and getting to see more of the real Goa.
Bright “Ranis” and Kings of VV
posted by -vvadmin on Wednesday, June 9th, 2010- Taijrani “TJ” Rampersaud
Being in VV and working here often reminds me of Guyana, my home. With citizens from or with roots in many places, such as Africa, China, Europe and India, Guyana is a country of great diversity.
Growing up in such a diverse society had its dividends. To begin with, I knew about curry and roti (Indian bread) before I arrived; I have worn ghagras, salwars and saris (female Indian attire) back home, in Guyana, and also know some Kathak and Bharat Natyam dancing; I pray in Hindi and Sanskrit and I’ve read parts of and know about the Vedas, Ramayana and Bhagvad Gita.
So when I arrived in India, I didn’t feel like being in a foreign land as there was a lot I already knew. And yet there was so much more to learn and pick up for me, whether it’s Hindi or other intricacies of a daily life in India.
I have the same feeling while interning with VV.
One gets to see India through so many media – such as films and news. But the work of VV gives a complete picture to the world which is about the same India, yet previously unseen.
One of my tasks at Video Volunteers has been to edit information about videos that are uploaded to the YouTube and Channel19 websites. As a result, I sit and look at every video before I make any changes. Through this task I’ve seen videos covering so many issues – children needing playgrounds, a female rickshaw driver, street artists, the need to care for pets, water problems, educational problems, land rights and this list can go on. These videos show both positive and negative versions of the Indian society; as the masses see it and through them one discovers and learns a lot about the real India.
I might never get to meet the producers of these videos but for some reason, I feel like I know them. They come across as sincere, objective individuals who are willing to take that step to make a change instead of just talking about making a change.
At birth, I was named Taij/“Bright” due to being born in the Hindu religious period of Naav-raatri that preceeds Diwali – the Festival of Lights while Rani/“Queen” follows because my parents though it was a nice ending for Taij. Thus, the name Taijrani.
My name might mean “Bright Queen” when put together but I have seen brighter queens (and kings) associated with Video Volunteers. They are the people who utilize their time to create very moving content to share with the world about the problems they face through the use of videos. These queens and kings are hardworking individuals who are involved in research work and production of videos that address problems from health and water to lack of proper educational systems and discrimination. They are fearless in their tasks as they bring to the front problems affecting their societies; they are the voices of the marginalized, truly brilliant leaders!
Experiencing community media with Video Volunteers
posted by -laina on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
- Séverine Lenglet
“We don’t write to delight or to blame people but to put the pen inside and reveal the lives of others”, said Albert Londres. This famous French writer left his foot print on the 20th Century travelling the world while pioneering the field of investigative journalism. When I was 12, his name and exploits had me dreaming of being a journalist. Exotic lands, different peoples and foreign languages filled my mind. Working for Video Volunteers evoked these same feelings in me.
My dream is to utilize the media skills I have to support vulnerable people around the world and to accompany them in building better futures. At the beginning of March, I left Berlin, Germany, where I live and work as a journalist, to volunteer three months of my time with Video Volunteers’ (VV) IndiaUnheard program. I just wanted to give from my time and my skills to this wonderful media development NGO. Five years ago, a Spanish filmmaker told me about VV and I always kept it in mind and I knew that one day, I would manage to go to India and take part in this great adventure.
Until now, it has been incredible. I took part in two-week training for the Community Correspondents (CCs) of Video Volunteers’ new program “IndiaUnheard”. We were in a small village, 30km from Ahmadabad, and met people from all over India: from rural areas and slums, be they Dalits, tribal, sexual or religious minority.
I can’t go into all their personal stories but let me try to describe some of them. One of the CCs is a transgender. He was born a female but knew he identified as a man. During his childhood, he was so abused at home that he tried to commit suicides many times. After leaving home and living on the streets, he met another person who identified as being transgender. Through this, he was finally able to realize he was not alone. I also met amazing women who championed women’s rights even after years of severe domestic violence. There was this particular Muslim woman who told us that this training was the first time in her entire life that she had not been forced to wear her hijab. I had the opportunity to work with all of them while creating scripts for their “profile videos” (for those who spoke English). Additionally, I filmed all the footage for the video profiles as well as videos during the training and when they were reporting. We, my boyfriend Javier (who has joined me in this great adventure and is creating the website for IndiaUnheard) and I, want to visit the CCs in their home communities in June when we will be travelling around the country for 20 days.
In Ahmadabad, I was also working with all the VV team members and we had a lot of fun. I love intercultural work and was quite moved during the training; I realized the chance that been given to be there, to meet these incredible people, the real India…With some of them, I have built steadfast friendships.
From all the footage of the training, I produced a promo film for the IndiaUnheard program which was published on the website a few days ago. We had a lot of discussions about the ways of doing this promo and everybody had different opinions and likes to debate about them. Thus, sometimes the work did not go as fast as I am used to when I work for mainstream media. But while editing, I learned more about using Final Cut Pro and doing some graphic effects. Here, I also learned about working for an NGO and with Indian colleagues. The VV team is also very helpful. When there is a stressful situation like the IndiaUnheard launch, they kept relax. Indian people are relaxed when under stress which is really different from most of the Western countries where I worked. In a stressful situation in the west, colleagues would start to become very unpleasant most of the times…
Throughout this experience so far, I am really enjoying myself and don’t feel like going back to work for mainstream media. In fact, I now want to continue to work for NGOs, foundations or institutions engaged in social change or in environmental issues and to create documentary films about their issues. Here I want to thank VV for all of this, for having given me the chance to realise my dream and more energy to continue in this way. Before coming to India, I read books about cultures and traditions in India. Most of the time, they just described the Indian culture as very traditional and patriarchal. I knew that the people from VV would be very open-minded and different from what was stated in the book. What I did not realise was that their passion for their work, their ideas and ways of seeing the world and just the way they are would be so innovative and would give so much hope for a better future and change for poor and marginalised people. Thanks also for this!
[Read more about Séverine Lenglet ]
Interning with Video Volunteers – a Guyanese student’s experience
posted by -laina on Sunday, May 16th, 2010- “TJ” Rampersaud
Through a scholarship program, I, “TJ” Rampersaud, migrated for two years from the Land of Many Waters (Guyana, South America) to the City of Pearls (Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, Asia) – almost half way around the world. Now, I am at Video Volunteers’ office as an intern in Goa – “India’s Little Western Treasure”, as I like to refer to it. Goa is popularly known as the land of sand, sea and surf (very much like the Caribbean islands I know) but it also combines hills and forests, amazing flora and fauna and a diversity of cultures (which is a little like my Guyana).
Internship is a mandatory part of my masters program at the Department of Communication, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad. With multiple possibilities for both paid and unpaid internships inside and outside of India at news agencies, public relations firms, production houses, etc., choosing somewhere to complete the 4 – 6 weeks out of class assessment was not very easy. All of the mentioned areas will help to strengthen what I have learned in the classroom over the past year. However, I am in Baga, Goa at the office of the non-governmental organization Video Volunteers, India – paradise…
How did I end up staying at a cottage, built into a hill, surrounded by trees, in Goa, as opposed to a prominent media house, or some other journalism related field in a major metropolitan? Two words: Developmental Communication. This is a new perspective on the communication discipline where communication and its related fields such as public relations, advertising and, definitely, journalism (newspaper, radio, television, internet) are used to foster development worldwide. This new field has definitely caught my interest as it is possible to combine many of my interests in one occupation: videos, photography, communications and, most importantly, development. For as long as I can recall, I have been a major supporter of giving opportunities to the marginalized, empowerment of the less fortunate and working towards the eradication of poverty.
Video Volunteers encompasses all of the above and so much more. The organization was built on the central premise of giving the voiceless a voice through video, a truly amazing concept. Video is a very powerful medium of communication.
So far, my internship has been good. I find myself in a relaxed atmosphere where communication is encouraged among all; it is peaceful yet vibrant. Just a few days into my internship and I feel like I have learned a lot already through the interaction with the Video Volunteers team here in Baga, regardless of where they are from: India, USA, Spain or France. As we say back home in Guyana, “yuh cyan wan guh ah crab dance and nah get mud…” – one cannot be in the presence of others and not get affected by their personalities. Therefore, I hope the rest of my days here take pattern from the previous few: work in a relaxed atmosphere where all are concerned with the betterment of society, inclusivity, communication and development.
What’s Cinema? It’s ‘Cine plus Maa’
posted by -laina on Sunday, May 16th, 2010- Stella Paul
Eid Mohammed is 81 and has lived his entire life in the Berhampura slum of Ahmedabad. A ‘dresswala’/tailor till a few years ago, Eid Mohammed always had something special: power of observation. He did learn to read the Quran in a madrasa, but never went to a formal school. Yet he always was, and still continues to be, popular in his locality as a man who knew a lot about the world. Of many interests in his life, films top the list.
It was at the screening of a film that I first met Eid. Samvad, the Community Video Unit had organized a get together of all their community members in Berhampora. I had accompanied Stalin, the founder of Video Volunteers, invited to speak on the occasion, which also had a special screening of several of Samvad’s films. As Stalin and other guests speakers finished addressing the audience, a frail old man walked on the stage. As everyone wondered what he would say, Eid Mohammed took the mike and started – ;Cinema’ is, for me, Cine plus Maa (mother). Just as a ‘Maa’ would never teach her child wrong things in life, Cinema also teaches nothing but the right thing. These cinemas that Samvad showed today also shows us truth.’
At this point, I knew I had to know more about this person. So post event I met Eid and asked what made him think of ‘Maa’ while describing cinema. ‘Because of these film makers of Samvad’, he said. My area – Narayandas –ki-chali, always had so many problems. We had no drainage, lanes were full of garbage and almost all the men were addicted to arrack or drugs. But I never knew these issues could also be the subject of a film until one day these young men and women of Samvad came and started shooting. When I asked who they made these films for, who would see them, who would do something about it, they said ‘you’. This reminded me of my mother especially when she would notice something bad that I did. She would say ‘Yes, beta, something bad has happened. But you are still special. And you can do so much better for yourself.
Eid was a regular at every screening. His eyesight was getting weaker, but his passion for films and change was the same. In fact his enthusiasm was fast spreading among other community members, earning him quite a few fans, I was told. What I didn’t tell him is that he had just earned another one – in me.