Interview: Yoni Brook, Co-Director of Bronx Princess

Posted by Jemila On Saturday, October 31, 2009 2 comments


About a month ago, I did a review of Bronx Princess; a short film about a young Ghanaian living in the U.S. I was really impressed with the film and most of the people I shared it with were too. But I was also curious. Really curious about who the actors were, who the producers were, how come they made such a great and genuine short film, and especially, how the non-Ghanaian producers were able to capture elements of Ghanaian culture that a lot of "Ghanaian films" fail to communicate. So, I contacted one of the producers, Yoni Brook, and we had a little chat about all that. Here are all the interesting details. Enjoy!


Circumspect: Who are Yoni Brook and Musa Syeed?
Yoni Brook: Musa Syeed and I are co-directors that met at NYU’s film school in 2004. We made a film together that was on PBS in 2008 called “A Son’s Sacrifice” about a father and son working together at an old-school slaughterhouse in Queen’s New York. That had nothing to do with Africans; it had to do with first generation immigrants living in NY and was a father and son story. After we’d finished that film we had our eyes open for a mother and daughter story that would complement that story.

C: How did the concept of Bronx Princess come about?
YB: Coincidentally, we were in the Bronx in 2007 working on a short film; totally unrelated. It was about a mural and the mural was being drawn across the street from Auntie Yaa’s store. We were in that neighborhood for about a week filming, and whenever we needed to charge our batteries or go to the bathroom, Auntie Yaa would welcome us into her store to do that. And we were really grateful. She has an amazing personality; everybody on the block loved her and was drawn to her. After a week we just thought she was funny and warm and genuine, and we came back a couple times to hang out with her. And we thought to ourselves, oh it would be fun to make a film about this woman. We didn’t know what the movie would be; we just thought it would be captivating.  We had no plans to make a movie about her. It was just sort of a fantasy thing.


One day, when we were in her store, her daughter walked in after school, and we could see immediately that there was a mother-daughter conflict; that Rocky was working the store, and she really didn’t want to be there, she would rather be out with her friends, or studying for school and doing other things. The first time we met Rocky, she basically told us, “Hey, my life is a movie. Within the next three months I’m going to go from graduating high school to becoming the first woman in our family to go to college on a scholarship, and in between all of that, I’m actually going to go visit my dad in Ghana who’s a chief. And I haven’t seen him in Ghana since he became a chief.” So we were really blown away, and we could see that that was giving us the recipe to make a great movie. So we basically dropped everything that we were doing and decided that we would make a movie about her during these next four months. The next thing we knew, we were buying plane tickets to Ghana. It was sort of like living in the moment, and realizing that she had a great story. There are a million great stories in NY, everybody has a great story. Sometimes things are happening at that moment that you can’t pass it up. It’s too awesome.
  
C: Did you use actual Ghanaian actors? Is the screenplay based on a true story?
YB: We shot over 100 hours of footage in making the movie. We spent a lot of time with them to get the family to just sort of forget about us. So I would say that the Rocky in the movie is very close to the real life Rocky. But the biggest difference is that with Rocky in the movie you don’t see all the aspects of her life, that make her Rocky (in real life). It’s just impossible to show all the dimensions of a person in 38 minutes. I’d say her personality is really similar, but she’s a really smart, nuanced, complicated person as most people are. So I don’t like to claim that the movie is who she is.

C: That’s interesting. I’d thought you’d gotten actual professional actors to play the roles. So is it more of Reality TV, since you used the actual people?
YB: I think it’s a really interesting question. Our movie is classified as a documentary, and there’s a difference between reality TV - which is really popular now - and documentaries, both of which are shown on PBS. A documentary like the kind that we made is not scripted in any way. We asked the family to let us follow them around, and we tried to influence the situation as little as possible. We tried not to tell them where to stand, we tried not to say much at all actually. Of course we talk to them, at other times we shared our feelings, had fun with them, but while we were filming and recording we tried to disappear. Everything they said, or everything that happened in the movie, actually happened in real life. None of it was sort of staged or coached by us in any direct way.

C: Out of curiosity, prior to that, did Rocky think she would be doing a movie or a film?
YB: I think the reason that Rocky and her mother are so compelling in the movie, is that they’re just such open people to begin with. At the same time, Rocky is not interested in acting professionally at all, but she was in her school play like a lot of teenage girls. She has a performative aspect to her. I don’t think she ever thought about acting, and I don’t think she wants to actually be an actor now. She didn’t view Bronx Princess as an acting job, but sort of like a time capsule of her life. I should add, the family wasn’t paid to be in the film. It was basically like journalism where we followed them around.

C: On your end what were the budget constraints, who were your sponsors?
YB: The film was sponsored by ITVS, which is a tax-payer supported organization that supports independent documentaries and films in order for them to be broadcast on PBS. When we met the family and heard their story, we basically said, hey, this is a story that is not on TV. People don’t know about this kind of thing. When you think about immigrants in America, and then think about royalty, it’s a lot more complicated and interesting. So this is a really unique story. That’s kind of how we pitched it to ITVS, and then it was broadcast. We also got some additional funding from POV which is the point of view documentary series on PBS. That’s where the money came from and what we did to fundraise so we could pay for our plane ticket, food, cameras, editing time – those are the kind of things that you have to take into account.


C: How did it pan out when you got to Ghana? Where there people on location that you were working with?
YB: All the time that we were making the movie, it was basically two people; myself holding a camera, and Musa holding a boom pole to record the sound. We didn’t need a lot of people to make the movie, and I think that having fewer people gave us a more intimate feel to the film because there weren’t 500 people around that would distract the family from being who they are. So when we got to Ghana, we just did the same thing. A friend of ours named Godwin, who lives in Ghana, helped us navigate our affairs. So he was sort of a co-producer in Ghana, who helped with everything else, including following the chief. We actually lived in the palace, which was a tricky situation because there are a lot of rules involved with living in a palace. We had never been there before till we got there and had to start filming. So we had to learn quickly what the rules were, how to talk to the chief and convince him that it was okay to wear the wireless microphone. All these little things I had never thought of before became kind of important.

C: Were there any particular challenges that you faced?
YB: I would say the biggest challenge was living in the palace with the chief. It wasn’t a very free place, so it was hard to live with that and also film them at the same time. That was a challenge. We had to really learn pretty first about the culture; like the way you speak to the chief. We were of course very respectful, but sometimes I would do things by accident like cross my legs while I was speaking to him, and that was really offensive and I had no idea. I made a lot of stupid mistakes. But by the end of this, the chief and us got along very well. You know, it’s a learning curve to any new culture and we had never been to West Africa before so that was tricky.


C: Since you had many hours of filming, how did you choose what to capture and which ones to portray in Bronx Princess?
YB: Because we shot over 100 hours of film and only used 38 minutes for the actual film, there were 100 different movies that could have been made out of this material. The principle we used to edit the footage – the editing took longer than the shooting – was to try and tell the story from Rocky’s perspective; what it’s like to be a teenager who’s going to school. Also, to take into account the journey that her parents were going through. Rocky was really focused on “hey I wanna get out of here, I wanna be independent.” But her father, the chief really wanted to teach her the lessons about the traditions of Ghana; of being a member of their community. So while we were editing, we tried to balance all those different ideas.

C: Tell us more about the bigger picture – your outreach campaign. What were your reasons for showcasing Rocky’s particular story and what responses did you anticipate?
YB: The reason we put together this outreach campaign is that a lot of people go through similar experiences as Rocky, whether or not they have a royal family, a lot of people – whether they’re teenagers or growing up – learn what it means to live away from home and want independence. In Rocky’s situation she was the first woman in her family to go to college and that’s a situation a lot of people are in. We wanted to use the film as a way of starting discussions, giving people tools for achieving access to college. With partnerships with different organizations, we’re putting the film into classrooms, community centers, online viewing etc. We have short films where Rocky gives advice about how to succeed in college, what you get there etc. Even though we only knew this part of her life, we didn’t know how it was going to turn out. Now that we’ve finished the film, it’s not just entertainment; it’s a tool that can help people with the lifestyle.


C: How were you able to capture the “genuineness” of Ghanaian culture portrayed in Bronx Princess - given the fact that neither you nor Musa are Ghanaian or even African?
YB: I kind of asked myself that question. I’m not an expert on Ghana; I’d been to Africa, but I hadn’t been to Ghana before. Why should Musa and I – two men who are not women, not African – why should we tell this story and how do we make it resonant and real?

There are two parts to that. One part is that both of our parents are immigrants. We know what it’s like to have parents who are from another country, and to go back there and experience that from the perspective of a kid born in America; similar to what Rocky’s journey is about. Musa’s parents are from Kashmir, my father is from Israel – so we kind of knew what it was like to go back. On the question of why the movie feels accurate and real, I think we really tried to listen and observe, and see what was important to the family we were shooting. We definitely played a role in shaping the story since we were filming it, but we tried to be listeners as opposed to imposing a Hollywood ending, or overly dramatic soap-opera style. We just wanted it to reflect what their lives are, and we hoped that would be interesting.

It’s a really tricky question anytime you have people of one culture trying to tell the story of people from another culture. How much are you projecting your own story? How much are you listening? We were both very cautious -both during filming and editing- with issues of identification. Rocky was really adamant about presenting Africa as a multi-dimensional place, and that was really important to her.

C: Do you have any tips or advice for young aspiring film makers?
YB: The most important thing that people can do is talk to other people around them. We started Bronx Princess because we could walk to their house. We didn’t set out to do something exotic or tell a story on another continent. We started with stories that were nearby; stories that people really connect to. We didn’t tell a story we thought would bring us the most success or money, we did something that we thought was genuine and that we appreciated. If producers don’t see film as a big-buck thing - at least in our world of documentaries it isn’t – but instead look for stories that are genuine and real and don’t necessarily fit the kind of pre-conceived Hollywood stereotype, they’ll actually make films that people will connect to.

C: What are your hopes for future projects?
YB: Documentaries take a long time to make. Bronx Princess took like two years. But I hope to tell more stories like Bronx Princess; I’d love to make another film in Ghana. More important than working in any one country is telling stories like Rocky’s that sort of change people’s ideas about what it means to be an American. That’s really important to me.



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You can watch Bronx Princess online until November 24 on the PBS Website.
Photos from http://www.bronxprincess.com/


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The Letter-Writing Project: Don't Burn Those Bridges

Posted by Jemila On 3 comments


Dear cousin,

I got your very frantic missed phone calls. All 30 of them. I also got your rushed voice messages filled with sighs and words I’d better not reproduce here. And as for the email messages, I think you succeeded in achieving what spam has failed to – you filled my inbox to the brim. Given your obviously erratic state of mind, I decided to give you some time to cool off, hence this letter - which will reach you in due time. We rarely make sense when we’re at such heights of emotion anyway, so it’s best to talk about these things when we’re done riding the waves of our anger.

Now to your little situation. The one person you put all your trust in went and betrayed you. She did what you yourself had expressly told her you wouldn’t tolerate in anyone. You probably forgot to mention that it included her, right? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Should you or shouldn’t you remain friends with her? Can she even be trusted after this? Is it even worth the effort? All valid questions my darling, and although I’d like to give you the answers, only you can do that for yourself.

See, (and yes, I’m about to talk some philosophical mumbo-jumbo as you call it) there are bound to be little tiffs here and there in life. Does each have to end in disaster and mayhem? Well, it depends. Yes, I did say it depends. It depends on you, and your reaction to the situation. Unlike what most people think, we actually are the creators of our experience. If someone does something really annoying, you are confronted with a choice. How you choose (respond to that situation) will determine your experience.

In your instance, you cussed the girl out, defamed her for all she’s worth, and even contemplated divulging what information she’d shared with you? Sister, take a moment and re-evaluate. You’re doing to her, exactly what was done to you. What’s that? She deserves it? Well then, I guess you might have deserved it too. Have you two even sat down to discuss what string of incidents led up to this blow-up? *Silence*. Didn’t think so.

Okay, let me cut to the chase on this one. Basically, you need to look at what risks you’re willing to take in this situation. What does your friendship with her mean to you? Yes, yes, I knew you’d say there’s no friendship. But hold your horses. During your entire relationship, what were the things that stuck out to you as beneficial to your growth as an individual? How do you think you influenced her life? If the positives seem to outweigh the negatives, I’d say take some time to think about the situation before making a final decision. And by take some time, I don’t mean doing a drive-by her house.

On the other hand, if you feel like you have nothing more to learn about her, or yourself, and you think your friendship does you more harm than good, then walk away. But know this. Regardless of how good it gets with any friend, relative, lover, colleague and so on, there’s likely to be times when you’re crowding each other’s space, gasping for breath, and strangling each other in the midst of your individual struggles. You can’t escape it. It’s just part of that thing called life. The same differences that make us unique can trigger disagreements. Which is fine. You don’t have to go on an all-out war, you can simply agree to disagree. Pretty neat huh? Yea, I got that one from Harriet Fulbright.

Besides, why ever would you want to spend all this energy fighting for something you might end up deciding you don’t even want? Is it just the thrill of the fight? We always complain how time flies, and how there aren’t enough hours in the day –maybe there are, we’re just not using them as well as we could. Think about that. Remember that train we had when we were both 5? Yes, the little “choo-choo” train with the whistle and song.

“It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears, it’s a world of hopes and a world of fears, there’s so much that we share, that it’s time we’re aware, it’s a small world after all!”

We used to sing that song all the day, but boy, were we clueless about what it meant! I guess this is where we understand it all. Everything comes full circle, doesn’t it? And so it will with your friendship. As much as possible, if you decide that being friends with her no longer serves you, do move on. But don’t burn that bridge. Try to end it on good terms. And if she won’t allow you to do so, or is just being a plain ass, then just let it go. Don’t be the one to burn that bridge. Why? Because in some way, some time, some where, it will come full circle. If not directly, then indirectly. Six degrees of separation? This week alone, I have met/re-connected with at least three people! That’s been the theme of my entire week, “It’s a small world!” And with the internet, trust, at this point, it’s smaller than a global village.

Hopefully by the time this letter reaches you, you’d have patched things up with her. But if not, just keep an open mind as you read what I’ve written, and whatever you decide, you know I’ve got your back. And as for those 30 missed calls diee. Aden?! Are they paying you to call a single person that many times? Anyways, it’s the weekend again, and I’m sure you have a bunch planned. Enjoy it to the max, and keep me updated.

Yours in missed calls & overflowing inboxes,
J

P.S. Since this is an e-letter, enjoy the video insert. For 'old' times sake :)




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Photo Source: http://marlinmark.wordpress.com/2007/10/26/the-wonderful-world-of-query/


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Love for Sale: Prostitution as an Economic Issue

Posted by Jemila On Friday, October 30, 2009 2 comments


So apparently, CNN decided to switch up its look online. It has a more streamlined look with more social media features and what-not. Social Media is taking over! Anyways, I like the new look, although it’ll take me a while to get used to the glaring red header.


The key video on the Africa page today is on prostitution in Kenya, and specifically, teenage prostitutes. Two of the girls spoken to first participated in the sex trade at 10 and 11 years respectively. During World AIDS Day in 2003 (Dec 1st.) myself and my fellow peer counselors at Wesley Girls High School went on an education and outreach trip to basic schools in neighboring villages in Cape Coast. At one of the schools, we got to talk to some of the children, who were in primary school, and who were generally below 12 years old, and one of the girls told us her story.


She was from a very poor background and her parent could barely afford to feed her much more pay her fees. She would go about three days without a real meal, and after that, she would go to the local taxi and bus center and offer herself to any of the drivers there who was willing to pay to have sex with her. Take note, these drivers ply the Accra-Cape Coast road regularly, so you can imagine how high the risk of HIV transmission is. I remember being greatly affected by the girl’s story. Despite the fact that she’d experienced such trauma, she was still an innocent child.


At Mount Holyoke I took a French class called “Love for Sale”, which looked at prostitution in France. The French are definitely more liberal when it comes to sexuality, but even then, the societal perceptions on prostitutes are alarmingly one-sided. People assume that prostitutes are inherently ‘promiscuous’ or ‘bad people’ – whatever that means. In Ghana and other African countries, its ten times worse.


Personally, I try not to judge without at least hearing people out . Instead of looking at prostitution as a moral issue, I think it should be looked at as an economic issue. What are the main factors that propel people to engage in prostitution? From the accounts I read during my French class, and from other resources, most women become prostitutes due to economic pressures. A very limited number actually become prostitutes because they want a more liberal sexual experience. And in that case, it’s still not an issue of morals or religion, it’s an issue of sexuality.


The link between prostitution and poverty is one that is very obvious, but which is also very ignored. People would rather sweep it under the rug than deal with the realities. Well guess what? The more you sweep dust under a rug, the more that dust will pile up into a nice mound, and one day, it will trip you up. There needs to be a change in how the issue of prostitution is regarded. It’s labeled as being ‘the oldest profession’ in human history, yet we still don’t really understand the dynamics of the situation. As opposed to labeling and beating down these women, our societies and governments should think of offering them other options. If those options are not available in the meantime, we should provide them with the tools to ensure their safety – health and security-wise (especially when it comes to child prostitutes).


These are just my thoughts on the issue. Here's the CNN video . I would also suggest reading Paulo Coelho’s Eleven Minutes, which looks at the issue of prostitution. As always, feel free to share your thoughts. Peace!


BTW: It was hard for me to find a photo that isn't too risque or stereotypical, so decided to go abstract.


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Photo Source: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/port/376/s/stock-lipstick-mark.jpg


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Peek-A-Boo, Guess Who!

Posted by Jemila On Wednesday, October 28, 2009 3 comments

Just love it when God springs wonderful surprises on us. The weather forecasts said there'd be rain, rain and more rain today, but it was as dry as a button, with a warm breeze and beautiful sunshine! Couldn't resist, had to immortalize the day. Enjoy!






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Psychic

Posted by Jemila On 2 comments


God-fearing. Check. Attractive. Check. Interesting. Check. Smart. Umm. Funny. No comment. Dimples. Zero. Guess he’s already disqualified. And he’d looked like he had so much potential. The injustices of this world. “Awura Adjoa, so what d’you think?” “Huh?” She’d drifted away again as his voice droned on. He chuckled, and smiled sweetly. “About the existence of extra-terrestrial beings. A definite yes or an undeniable no?” And, he’s here sprouting nonsense! Unh-huh, that’s it, I’m out. “Umm…I can’t be too sure,” she shifted her chair back and started putting her belongings in her handbag. “But, wow, would you look at the time, definitely way past my bedtime!” She smiled feebly, and grabbed her coat. “Gotta run! Nice..uhh…talking.” She made a beeline for the exit. Just as she stepped off the restaurant onto the street she saw him get up from the corner of her eye. Oh no, she groaned inwardly. Don’t let him be a stalker, please. I promise, I’ll be nicer to the next one. Awura Adjoa crossed the street hastily while trying to button up her coat against the chilly fall wind.


A few moments later, she stepped into the warm embrace of her college apartment. We made it! She thought to herself. Reaching down to slip her booties off her feet, she heard a sound behind her and craned her neck to see which of her two roomies it was. The punk rock attire confirmed that Al was up again enjoying her nightly delight. “So?” Al said, as she slurped drops of melting ice cream off her spoon. Awura Adjoa finished unwinding her checkered scarf and hang it in the closet along with her coat. “So, what?” she asked innocently. “How’d your date with mr. he-could-possibly-be-the-one go?” Al was known for her often cryptic statements and sarcastic humor. Awura Adjoa walked towards the kitchen area. “Let’s just say mr. he-could-possibly-be-the-one quickly dissipated into mr.-a-definite-no-no.” “Ha! I told you so!” Al squeeled jubilantly. Awura Adjoa groaned “Yeah, yeah, and you promised not to say that dreaded statement. Besides, what happened to having a little faith in my ability to decipher people occasionally?” She grabbed a spoon from the cabinet and pulled a stool towards Al. She was ravenous. Trying to come up with a polite excuse to ditch “Sir” Alfred, as he’d introduced himself, had failed and she’d left in a rude rush. It had also succeeded in inducing her usual craving for ice cream which surfaced when she was famished. “Simple. The “occasionally” is yet to show up, so until that finally happens, I’ll remain your faithless servant.” Al snickered and the crevice of a dimple showed in the corner of her lip.


Awura Adjoa sighed. True, the ‘occasionally’ hadn’t yet arrived. You would think that after ten dates with guys from different ends of the male spectrum, she’d have met at least one person who fulfilled 75% of her expectations in a possible mate. Either they had no belief system, meaning they had no value systems and would probably treat her like trash, or they were close to religious fanatics, meaning they’d probably sit down and wait for life to happen to them. They were either not smart enough, or too smart to the point where they used the date as an opportunity to prep for their upcoming research symposium. And those who had it all spiritual and personality-wise, just didn’t do it for her physically. I mean, is it so hard to ask for an interesting man I am actually attracted to? “No, it’s not.” “Huh?” Awura Adjoa said as she awakened from her reverie. “No, it’s not impossible for you to find that guy you’re looking for.” Al said softly. She looked Awura Adjoa straight in the face. “You’re probably going over your mental checklist of what he had, and what he did not, and you’re asking yourself why he – or they – can never be the complete package, right?” She cocked an eyebrow. “Darn, you’re good!” Awura Adjoa replied. She licked her silver spoon and looked at it thoughtfully. “How exactly do you know what’s on my mind?” “Call me psychic.” Al grinned mischievously. Awura Adjoa gave her one of her famous looks. The “seriously, just cut to the chase” eye.


Al assumed her smart-alec stance as she leaned back against the fridge and folded her arms. “Well, I’m not saying you’re predictable, but after going through this process, seven-eight-nine-ten times, I think I know what stages of denial and self-rebuttal you go through after mr. he-could-possibly-be-the-one fails to deliver. Heck, even a two-year old could figure that one out!” Awura Adjoa ran her hands through her braids. “Am I that much of a nutcase?” she whispered. Al set what remained of the vanilla and almond ice cream on the table and touched her arm. “Not a nutcase, just trying too hard.” “You really think so?” Awura Adjoa asked. “Yep. You’re no longer living, you’re simply existing. Waiting for the next thing to happen. Spending all your energy looking for mr. possibly-the-one, while remaining incognizant of the fact that your braids need to be taken out. You need to pay attention to you, right now.” Awura Adjoa looked down at her peeling clear-nail polish painted toes. Al was right. She’d gotten spun into this whirlpool of finding ‘the one’. She’d set up a default checklist in her mind against which she rated any guys she had the opportunity of meeting. And in all of this, she’d ignored the one person who’d been begging for attention that whole while. Herself. “Why do you have to be so on point all the time?” she asked as she raised her head. “I already told you,” Al said as she reached for her and pulled her into a warm hug. “I’m psychic.”




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Photo Source: http://joanharvest.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/psychic-lit1.jpg?w=500&h=375


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Media + Policy + Science: A Meeting of Great Minds

Posted by Jemila On Thursday, October 22, 2009 6 comments


Finally, finally, finally. I brought my notepad home with all the juicy info from an event I went to a couple of weeks ago: "Media as a Global Diplomat II: New Findings on the Science of Media and Conflict". It was organized by the US Institute of Peace, and boy, was it a blockbuster event! Great and inspiring people like Al-Jazeerah's Riz Khan (formerly of the BBC) and Jordan's Queen Noor were present, as were a whole bunch of amazing individuals. I really enjoyed the event cos I'm all about policy and media, and at one point in my life I figured I'd be a psychologist (until I had to take psych 100 at 8am and chickened out.)


So anyways. Details. Essentially, some researchers from MIT (Rebecca Saxe, a neuroscientist), Harvard (Dean Jay Winsten) as well as media personnel like Riz Khan (Al-Jazeerah) and Michael Medavoy (a Hollywood film maker) spoke about how media influences global diplomacy and conflict.


The researchers presented their findings on the issue. Some of them were:


>The most powerful persuasion messages are messages about what other people around you think and believe. [If African countries are continuously portrayed as being poor, starving, and dirty, in due time, most people will think that's all Africa is (which in my humble opinion, is where we're currently at)]


>People pick up on information that is fed to them. Images of violence against a group you identify with will increase your allegiance to that group. [I found this particularly interesting. Apparently, it also informs our decisions about what to watch. So scientifically-speaking, people who watch Fox News most likely don't agree with Obama in the first place, and so they gravitate towards that kind of media. As another example, a young black woman might choose to watch BET over...I dunno.... the history channel? I don't intend to sound stereotypical, but that's what the research findings suggest.]


>Altruistic punishment - the desire to retaliate in order to regain self-esteem occurs when people feel a strong identity to a particular group. [I guess the Gates incident could be considered as one? Many black people here in the U.S. cried out against the treatment of the Harvard professor and there were allusions to racial influences as well.]


>Tower of social norms. It's more powerful to make people believe that society's attitude to something is changing. [This was my favorite. Essentially, we're all teenagers. Yep, even our grandparents, mothers, fathers, all of us :). I have a similar theory, so I was quite (pleasantly) surprised when the experts confirmed this. It all comes down to the issue of peer pressure. People will most likely change their attitude to something if they get the impression that it's the norm or the 'cool' thing to do.]


>We learn by observing the behavior of others and do so by media. [Who told you you wanted that haircut? Are you sure you're not skinny? And how certain are you that Obama is President and it's a great milestone in human history? Hold on a sec, is that even your real name? (just kidding lol). But yeah, hope you get the drift. We're all part of the matrix people!]


>People act in accordance with the negative stereotypes that they are associated with. [ Say what? Come again? Yea, that's the reaction I had. But apparently, it's true. As an example, the researchers talked about having a group of students write their gender/race on a math test. Once gender is written on a math test for instance, women would do worse than if they didn't have to write their gender. Why? Because there's the negative stereotype that women are less capable at math than their male counterparts. Your system actually sends signals to your brain cells to reinforce those stereotypes?! Crazy, init?]


>Sending information in a propagandistic manner fuels resistance. [ I guess this one's pretty to the point. If people feel like they're being threatened, they will retaliate. Taking it back to how things were dealt with in the stone age I guess.]


The researchers suggested that societies promote sharing and engaging with one another, in addition to listening in order to promote mutual respect. 


The second part of the event was really interesting! Some of the things that came out from that:


> Use the internet not only as an informative tool, but also as a story-telling tool. Enabling people to tell their stories about their identities and then having constructive dialogue is powerful. [I couldn't agree more. That's what Circumspect and the millions of other blogs and social media tools are about. It's about putting your story out there; it's your mouthpiece to the entire world!]


A TED video on Chimamanda Ngozi (Author of Half of a Yellow Sun & Purple Hibiscus), has been doing its rounds on facebook recently, and Ms. Ngozi talks about the danger of a single story. I think she's exactly on point about the issues. Here's the video for those who haven't watched it. It really ties into a lot of the research findings listed above. 






One of the panelists presented an amazing project he's running to try to help resolve the Gaza Conflict.  It's called Gaza Sderot  -"Life in spite of everything" and basically what they do is put 2 new videos on the website everyday, showing life in Israel's city Gaza and Palestine's Sderot. The point of it all, to show that the people aren't as different as they've been led to believe. Another great aspect of it is that its translated in many different languages including Hebrew and Arabic so the inhabitants of these two cities and countries can understand it. Check out the Gaza Sderot Project!

Some other things that were highlighted:

>The fact that even though the new social media is phenomenal, innovative and life-changing, many of the communities in the developing world - that really need these tools- don't have access to them. [That's definitely true, and I think its for this reason that the cell phone revolution is regarded as extremely amazing in many circles. I got the chance to speak to an Iraqi social innovator at a George Mason event and what he did was set up a text-message recruiting system whereby people (especially women who had to stay at home) who were job-searching could text in to the company and provide their details. The company would then look into their database of prospective employers and match them up. Helped save money (travelling to cities in search of jobs), time and energy. Talk about innovation!)


> The quality of journalism today and publishing heresay rather than fact. [Apparently there's less and less education and training for journalists, and this affects the quality of reporting and management in the broadcasting sector. Riz Khan stressed how important being a journalist is since your words can actually determine history. He gave the example of a journalist writing "eject" instead of "elect" during an important election in a volatile region. By using eject, the title of the article gave the impression that there was a coup...you can imagine the mayhem!]


I find it quite interesting that the world is going back to the ancient tradition of storytelling, albeit in a more technologically advanced manner.At the end of the day, everyone has a story to tell.  So go ahead a tell yours. Whether its through music, poetry, articles, comments on blogs, whatever. Nobody's gonna secure your place in this world unless you do it for yourself and the timing has never been better! To listen to the entire USIP event, go here. Happy storytelling people, and leme know what you think about the research findings!

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Photo 1 Source, Photo 2 Source


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The Letter-Writing Project (Premiere): Forever and Unconditionally Yours

Posted by Jemila On Sunday, October 18, 2009 8 comments


My dearest sweetheart,



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Blog Action Day on Climate Change (Belated Post) - The Other Side: Climate Change a Hoax?

Posted by Jemila On Saturday, October 17, 2009 2 comments


Blog Action Day on Climate Change was on Oct. 15th, and I'd signed up to participate. Unfortunately, one thing led to another, and I didn't get a chance to blog that day. But anyway, I made a commitment, so regardless of the fact that Blog Action Day on Climate Change is over, it's never too late to talk about climate change. Especially when I have some extremely interesting stuff to share!

About a month ago I headed over to the National Mall for the National Book Festival here in D.C.  On my way there, I came across a group of people who were talking about climate change. I figured I'd listen in and see what they had to say, and boy, did they have a lot to say. The organization, Truth About Green , basically pushes the notion that climate change or global warming is not actually a natural phenomenon, but rather a man-made phenomenon set up to advance the economic and business ideals of top business elements. Additionally, they said that green initiatives would actually result in higher taxes for the average citizen (in this case American). When I realized what they were talking about, I was a bit skeptical. Like seriously, who would call climate change a hoax? Well, they certainly had no qualms about making that accusation.

Anyways, I tried to upload a video of one of the speakers at the event, but it was too large (smart me, huh?). So here's a video I found on youtube that has similar (if not the same) argument. I'm only putting part 1 on here, but if you wanna watch the remaining parts, it's all on good ol' youtube:




My Reactions:
I don't think I agree with the notion that climate change is a hoax. Politics aside, I think anyone can pretty much figure out that there's something seriously wrong with Mother Earth, and she's letting her frustrations show all around us. For one thing, look at the temperature change. It's only October and already, temperatures have dropped as though we're in the height of winter. Heck, some places have already gotten their first dusting of snow! Sure, there's the whole argument about the earth being in a "cooling off" period, but the way I see it, it's better to pay attention to climate change now, and ensure that we're putting our rubbish and toxic waste in the appropriate places, instead of having to deal with extreme environmental disasters in the future.

"Cap & Trade": Until this event, I didn't have any inkling about what "Cap & Trade" is. Generally, its a policy currently being debated in the U.S. Congress which would require businesses and corporations to monitor their emissions and ensure that they do not go over a certain limit. So essentially, its an attempt at controlling pollution. No problem there. The main criticism against "Cap & Trade" is the carbon trading element. A company which projects that its greenhouse emissions will exceed the limit can "buy" pollution allowances from other companies which might not be meeting their limits. Here's a wikipedia article on it for those of you who want detailed info. Now here, I might agree with the Truth About Green arguments. By making the issue of pollution reduction a business venture, we risk actually dealing with the issue of pollution at all.

Lessons for Ghana/Africa
Information & Education: One of the speakers at the event mentioned the fact that Spain, which was heralded as an economically stable economy,recently slipped into a recession. It was a model of sorts for the green campaign. I don't know that much about Greening in Spain, but what I do know is the fact that if we intend to incorporate models and structures from other countries, we need to educate ourselves. Ghana and other African countries are relatively better-off (I think) when it comes to pollution. How can we reduce what pollution we have, and how can we prepare for the future?

We should be doing our research and looking at all these models (failed or otherwise) to inform our own policy decisions. If we don't keep ourselves informed, we will have a situation similar to our current economic systems; we'll have policies, laws and structures that do not work for us. Already, many multi-lateral companies get away with polluting our countries without so much as a slap on the hand for this. That's where our concern should be: strengthening our legal structures to protect our environment and consequently, our population.


Accountability: As you can see from the photo, this group is certainly not for Al Gore and his "Inconvenient Truth Campaign." As far as they are concerned, Al Gore is using his film as a platform to make millions (since his film and ideas are on the market). On the issue of the politicians advocating for "Cap & Trade", these same politicians fly in private jets which add to the greenhouse emissions in the atmosphere.

Essentially, this brings about the question of intent and accountability. If you are pushing for climate change and environmental awareness, then you shouldn't just talk the talk, but walk the walk as well. I remember in J.S.S. we would have a teacher tell us about how its important to not litter the environment, and then after school, that same teacher would finish eating an orange and throw it on the ground. If we want to make our earth and environments cleaner and more comfortable to live in, each of us is accountable. From the school kids to the politicians. Each of us.

Alors, since I'm all for democracy and fairness, here's a TED video on Al Gore and his ideas concerning climate change. Regardless of whether you agree or not, he's definitely got a humorous spin on his talk!


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First African U20 Champs: Ghana's Black Satellites (The Boys Are Too Good!)

Posted by Jemila On Friday, October 16, 2009 1 comments

Okay, so I'm sitting here at work, and I'm soooooooooooo giddy with excitement!!!! Ghana vs Brazil U20 World Championship game, Ghana trashed Brazil!!!! 4-3 in penalties.And with man 1 down (they played 10 against 11) I loove penalties (used to be a goalie and just loved the adrenaline rush). Anyways. This post is to commemmorate the fact that Ghana is the first African country to win the U20 Cup! How many more firsts is this country going to bag??

Thought a couple of things were interesting:

- Didn't watch the game, but knew exactly what was going on via the fifa.com webcast updates +...drumroll...facebook updates! Chale, u don't need to be in front of the T.V. to see things going dowwwn lol.

- The famous Ghanaian footballer Abedi Ayew Pele, took his 'Pele' from Brazil's amazing sportsman Pele who won the title of "Athlete of the Century" in 1999. Now Abedi Pele's son Dede Ayew plays against Brazil about a decade later as the captain of the Ghana team, the Black Satellites and Ghana takes the title of U20 Champs!!! Wow, things do come full circle don't they?

- And now for what I think is probably one of the most important. The Ghana U20 team was led to victory by none other than a Ghanaian Coach!! Sellas Tetteh! How beautiful is this eh??

As for this one dieee, if the Ghana Government decides to give a holiday, I absolutely concur!!! Ghana oseee yeee!!!! Putting Africa on the map!! Gotta watch out for their big brothers- the Ghana National Team the Black Stars - during S. A. 2010!!



Here are some of the interesting facebook status updates on the win:
Kwabena Boateng Ghana is a trending topic on TWITTER BRAP


Daniel Arthur 1 man down against brazil & winning is like going into an exam room wid nuthin in ur head and gettin an A(where i'm from,dat's IMPOSSIBLE).....so chale de boys force....IM GOING OUT


Paul Akrofie CHALE... BRONYA HAS COME EARLY THIS YEAR !!!!!!! EEEEIIIIII !!!!! FIRST AFRICAN COUNTRY !!!!!! CHALE SO PROUD TO BE GHANAIAN !!


WORLD CUP 2010 Ghana, the African Pride defeated the Great Team of Brazil on penalty shoot-out and became the Under-20 World Cup Champion of 2009!! Congratulations Ghana, congratulations to 2nd place Brazil and to all the great young players who played in this world championship tournament!


Peter Finor La-Anyane I just got back inside from running outside with my flag. Everyone was looking at me like "you know you're in the USA right?" God won this game for us!! Ghana U-20 World Cup Champions. More reason to XPECT GREATNESS FROM US!!http://www.xpectgh.com


Yaa Asantewaa Appiah Korang Goooooooooooooooooooooooooo Ghana!!!!!!!!! "Ghana DO the best!!!!!!" Under 20 World Cup Champions!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To God be the Glory!!!!!!!!


Adu Ampofo First African U-20 world champions AND on African soil. We are so well beyond A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!!!!!


Frankie Marvin Cofie For all who dnt knw, God is an African


Opk Ac-day Opoku Ghana do the best.. we do the best.. Who said Ghana didn't do the best has a problem.. Ghana do the best.. we do the best! Brazil is nothing before us.. they can't change us!


Saka Linus 
I just want to send a MEMO to GFA...Coach Silas Tetteh is Ghanaian, he(Silas) led the Satelites to WIN U20 against Brazil...case in point, GFA pay him watever he says he deserves, give him d salary u pay foreign High School Gym Teachers to come to GH ad coach and let him lead the Stars to Bring to trophy from SA...I'm just saying

Ato Ulzen-Appiah Haven't heard Atta Mills speak live all year but I/m now. He's congratulating d Black Satellites on making #Ghana world champions! Adom FM.


Edna Lola Owusu-Ansah The great Goliath has fallen.it is finished


Ishmael Osekre 
Where are those who predicted our loss? The analysts said we didn't have the technique, we didn't have the flair, we didn't have the stamina. They said we were playing too defensively. We got a red card. They said it was a wrap. They said maybe we will lose in the 2nd half then ... and on and on. Everything was against us. BUT WE WON. Ghana is the 1st African team to win the U21 World Cup. See you in South Africa!

Senam Apaloo youre from where? oh Brazil- thats the country Ghana beat right?I THOUGHT SO!


Brigid Yirenkyi never a better time to be Ghanaian!!!! i'm so proud of us!!!!


PaaMilitary Yanful today is the day i stopped calling football soccer! GO GHANA greates footballing nation on the continent!!


Kwesi 'pk' Fynn iREP G.H.A.N.A.!!! You know the name right?!


Angellah Asiah Choi Proud to be ghanaian, brazil u aint got nothing on us!!!


Philip Odei We trusted in God to make Ghanaians da happiest pple on earth 2day!!! To GOD be the GLORY!!!


Phebe Awura-Abena Fantedorkono Brako my mother skipped church to watch soccer. so if i skip class on monday cos of basketball, should she get mad? lol!


Ruth Ofeibea Botsio GHANA DOES IT BEST AND DOES IT REAL- IT'S NEVER FOR THE SHOW (balloon boy). Pacesetters for generations to come ♥. Now where's my jollof?



And of course, yours truly....

Jemila Wunpini Abdulai Wooopie!!! Yay Ghana!!!! Brazil, we have put pepper in your eyes!!! Who's talking about the African Brazil? We're the U20 Champs, go figure!




To go with a popular Ghana "gyama" / celebratory song, "Brazil, we scored you, we put pepper in your eyes!" (I'm not hating on Brazil, I'm just elated :) ) Okay enough for the day lol. Wooopie, Congrats U20 Champs, you brought the gold back to the Gold Coast!!!

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Photo Sources: Fifa Web site


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The Three ‘Ps': Prejudice Predetermining Progress

Posted by Jemila On Wednesday, October 14, 2009 3 comments


The long dry untarred road, leads up to a cement-based incomplete bungalow
A row of tables along the veranda, with plastic table covers of bougainvillea
Uniformed men and women, each with a pair of ‘specs’ perched lightly on their nose ridges
Papers strewn left, right and center, and not a single computer in sight
At the gate of so-called opportunity, a long queue waits
Market men and women, ‘kubolor’ boys and girls, and even a politician or two
Colorful Holland print cloths wrapped haphazardly around waists of different sizes,
And you know there was some sort of sleepover the night before
Basins overturned to serve as makeshift chairs
Plastic and steel buckets, for finding water after this quest is done
“Gyai saa”, “Kyel la la”, “Stop that”, and you know the kids are getting restless
In the corner, a group of young men; from their vantage point a sea of well-endowed behinds they do peruse
“The first fifty can come in!” a loud voice pronounces
Scramble for Africa re-enacted, feet and hands gravitating towards that single door
In all the confusion, two do get stuck
One from the capital city itself, the other from a town whose name nobody recalls
“Eh, my two sisters, go in. Everybody else go home! Ah, can’t you count? I said 50!”
With muttered complaints and wagging fists, the others walk away
While Mr. I-finally-feel-important, hurls undeserving insults at their retreating backs
The two momentary Siamese twins eventually dislodge, and assume their rightful places in line
“Hmm, look at the plenty lipstick she has put on her mouth! Definitely a spoiled city brat”
“Ah, what kind of outfit is this? And her hair…waa hwe, she’s wearing chale wote sef”
With an observer’s eye, you’d just see two young women attempting to find a job
But just like that, the dice has been cast, and each had categorized the other without a thought
In the heat of noon, with house flies drifting from one person to another
The girls finally approached the high tables strewn with so many papers
“Yes, how can I help you?” the matron asks
“I want a job”, “I’m looking for work”, both girls say at once
“And why should I hire either of you,” the destiny-holder asks, gazing from one to another
“Because I’m…” Both attempt to put their best foot forward and out-do the other
“Well, there’s only one position left” Ms. Matron proclaims
“Ah, then you have to pick me! She’s not good enough”
Desperation etched on each of their faces, they glare angrily at one another
“Tofiakwa! I’m not going to let that…thing, take this from me”
“Ladies,” a feminine voice calls out “You didn’t even let me finish”
Looking back at their prospective employer, they feel the blood rush to their faces
The first rule in any game is to watch, listen, and learn – and they’d messed up that very first step
“…As I was saying, there’s only one position. But it requires two people who are willing to work together”
Hearts sinking, fingers wringing, they already know what the outcome is
“Obviously, neither of you is qualified for this job, I wish you better luck next time”
High heel grinding stone, chale wote slapping against sand, our two sisters walk away
Once again, at that overbearing iron-gate, they finally look at each other
“After you, my sister” both chime at once, and in equal unison upturned lips appear
Away into the sunset, hand-in-hand this time, they venture forth
Finally realizing that working together is what’s gonna get us all there.

© 2009 Jemila Abdulai
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