September - December
With filming & documentation drawing to a close I did a rough edit of the footage to date this was sent on to major stakeholders for approval and in November there was one more session with participants to complete.
I flew to Sydney to hook up with the boys from TLB click to shopw them the draft and to talk about music for the soundtrack. The piece had been cut to the sounds of their CD track - "Back in The Dayz" and Deng Deng (aka D-Flame), Abaker (aka Ma$ta One) and David (aka Durty Diamonds) were pleased that the song was the main musical piece we proposed to use.
TLB Click had been working up a new song - "Top Of The World" and we recorded an impromptu rehearsal with friends and that was woven into the video and in fact it's this footage that closes out the final video. A quick cut of this has gone up on the web so the guys can promote themselves and the new song. Meantime, Abaker is launching his solo career and is recording his own album.
Check out the clip at Vimeo -
Top Of The World TLB Click from SVM on Vimeo.
Abaker generously buddied me around as we filmed in Quaker's Hill, met the Sudanese soccer team in Granville and took a look at the community garden in St Mary's.
It was an interesting time to be back in my old neck of the woods.
We confirmed dates for the Tamworth & Armidale screenings and booked TLB Click to come up for the Tamworth launch
July-August
The Sudan to Tamworth project moves into the final stages of filming, with interviews being shot of other Sudanese people living in the Tamworth/Armidale region and community members who have over the years helped the Sudanese arrivals settle in the area.
Eddie Whitham - who, individually, has over the years done so much to help the Sudanese in many ways - from housing to employment, liasion with police and other services.
Eddie has since the beginning been a spokesperson for the diaspora issues in Tamworth. Eddie has a long standning relationship with refugee settlement that dates back to the arrival of Laotian people in Tamworth in the 1970's.
Over the next few weeks interviews with Priscilla, Deng and Diktor will be shot and commentary from the Evolveris team.
Preliminary editing begins in September - with draft edits circulated to the project participants for review and comment as they are completed. This ensures that people feel that they are not misrepresented or gives them the chance to add to their contribution.
June 2009
Late June saw a gathering hosted by the Tamworth CWA at the Tamworth Community Centre - inviting members of the local Sudanese community to share stories and lunch.
Deng & Ida and Elizabeth along with their children were the day's special guests - the new baby was a hit with the CWA ladies.
Deng & Elizabeth spoke of their migration experiences and a series of Shoebox Storieswere shared by the CWA ladies - using photos and memorabilia to prompt stories from their lives.
So Far.....
We have about 16 hours of video footage, shot by a number of project participants - including the two mentoree film makers - Maat Boyd and Sarah Watson.
The footage gives an insight into the relationship that Tamworth has had with some of the Sudanese diaspora over the last six years or so - from the perspectives of these young men, local politicians & community leaders and other members of the community.
We've interviewed a group of young Sudanese men who live in Tamworth - mostly working at the abbatoirs.
A day of conversation and story telling - leaving Sudan, making the transition to life in Australia, the issues and difficulties they face.
Thanks to Deng & Ida (who have since given birth to another daughter, Adehl.)
Also met another Deng along with Dennis & Gabriel, who gave generously of their time to tell us their stories.
A day spent together and it seems we've only just begun to hear their stories.
Through Dennis & Deng we've hooked up with the R&B/Hip Hop outfit TLB Click - ( Together Like Brothers) - and we'll use some of their music in the final product.
An other exciting partnership has begun.
Check out their web presence at - http://www.myspace.com/tlbclick.
March saw the completion of the first stage of the Sudan To Tamworth project
The 5 session workshop with the Kamillaroi Youth Project at Tamworth TAFE College finished up with a presentation of photos, video & music that the kids in the programme produced.
They then ran an open workshop/demonstration of the work they had done & showcased their skills to the staff of the General Education faculty and some of their peers.
We were invited to participate in the Harmony Day/Week activities hosted by Farrer Agricultural High in Tamworth and at Quirindi Public School. Two hugely successful days with the local high schools and primary schools, in collaboration with the dept of Education & Training regional office
Presentations of Simon's digital story and the work of the Kamillaroi Youth were made - the word on digital media as a teaching & learning tool was met with great interest by students, teachers and Tamworth community members
A special presentation of Simon's Digital story was held at the Tamworth Community Centre - both in English & Dinka.
Helen Swain & Simon both gave addresses on Evolveris, the Sudan to Tamworth Project and digital storytelling.
Lots of good connections were made, relationships with the Gomeroi people of Tamworth were built on and new dimensions have been brought to the work of SVM.
Simon's Story can be seen at Vimeo using this link http://vimeo.com/3814627
Opening up space to be heard
June 6 2009
The shoot following the Woodley interview
With about 14 hours of tape shot to this point - we sat down with the Evolveris team to review some of it - in particular the conversations with Deng, Ida, the other Deng(2), Dennis and Gabriel.
Deng & ida graciously hosted the session in their home and the shared backyard of Bent St.
Ida, heavily pregnant and expecting at any time encouraged Deng and the boys to speak and tell their stories. I think Ida heard some things about the Sudanese way, the refugee experiences of the boys things she may not have heard before - interesting mash of cultures, as Ida is of Fijian heritage.
Helen opened up the dialogue around Deng's laptop as the three men looked through Simon's photos of his recent return to Sudan. Deng left to attend to some domestic matters while the other two began telling their stories. Dennis began - in Dinka - great fun as Deng 2 interpreted on-the-fly.
Deng (2) retold a folk tale as told to him by his Grandmother - about the relationship between his people and the wolf. It's a privilege to be the listener - Simon had told me some folk tales one day as we trained back from Tamworth- the animistic world view is a very fundamental part of the Sudanese people.
Each of these young men expressed concern over the next generation losing touch with their cultural heritage - they are the people who know the wolf, the crocodile, the lion, cheetah, hippo, and elephant.
The dialogue moved outdoors by the roll-a-door to the garage in the late autumn sunshine of Tamworth. The stories that followed were of the flight from home, seeking refuge in Khartoum or Egypt - and as Deng (2) obsereved - " My story....... it's a sad story....very sad"
As Gabriel arrived, the talk had swung round to life & survival in Australia...education, housing, workplace issues, making the transition to life here - and it flowed. Their keen observations of what life here is like for them - whether in the major cities or a country town - are incredibly revealing of how African migrants are supported - or not - and treated or mistreated in some cases in Australia.
I found so much in common with them - even in my experience as a European refugee/migrant child growing up in the Western suburbs of Sydney.
Fresh in my mind were the images of young Sudanese kids travelling the trains of Sydney's Western Line and small groups of them at shopping malls, the railway station, and the streets of inner city Sydney - the year I spent back in Sydney in 2007.
Still remembering from way back in my own life, how the police treated us as teenagers & young men, how migrant parents struggled with language difficulties, racism, poorly paid work in factories - and daily reminders of "difference" at school, work and even in public.
The shoot was rich in content and the day richer in it's gentleness and generosity, its ordinariness and its specialness. And there it is in this roughly shot, raw, Handy-Cam footage - of a story circle, shared in an ordinary Australian backyard, in a country town far from Southern Sudan
Post fact - the Evolveris team can see that the story they have to tell is about opening up the spaces for these young Sudanese people to be heard. An exciting challenge - typical of the SVM approach to film making.
We will hand a mini DV cam to the boys to record some of their daily lives.
So, for me I need to walk the wire between the client's needs and purpose and the baldy simple style of production we use. It is still an imperative that the final work looks like something that anyone could do - regardless of technical ability and type of equipment used.
So, now we begin to identify the film we want to make hidden in the footage
March 30 2009
Harmony Day/Week in Gomeroi Country
To date we filmed Helen Swain's presentation to the Tamworth CWA and subsequently interviewed Beverly & Roberta of the CWA Tamworth branch. They are planning a Get to Know Sudan Day in June 2009
The workshops with the Kamillaroi Youth Project have finished and their work was showcased during Harmony Week ( photos, video, computer based music & digital stories- digital media is now being looked at seriously as a valuable teaching and learning medium.
The TAFE staff understand its power as a tool for digital, visual, written & oral literacies. Plans are being made to document the various projects the kids will take part in over the next semester.
The group of 12 were from Tamworth & Oxley High Schools - yrs 9 & 10 ( 15 - 16 years old) - lead by Craig Somerville, they are taught by Joe Craigie, Mavis Stone, Mark Atkins & Randall Wilson - music, art, didgeridoo making & playing. A site visit will be documented with video & stills.
An interview was shot with Warren Woodley - former mayor and leading community figure - recounting his experiences with the settlement issues faced by the Sudanese community of Tamworth.
At the invitation of the regional DET (Dept of Education & Training) office, we took part in the community celebrations of Harmony Day/Week at Farrer High & Quirindi Public Schools. Simon Reech of Evolveris presented his digital story, Simon Revisits Sudan, to over 400 school students and was a keynote guest speaker at both events.
SVM showcased the work of the Kamillaroi Youth and promoted Digital Storytelling to the schools and the children attending.
Feb 14 2009
Sudan To Tamworth - making a start
Meetings held Feb 4th with various stake holders - TAFE Tamworth & community member Eddie Witham, Chair of the Uniting Care Migrant Resource Group in Tamworth.
Planned pilot training program to be run with the Kamilaroi Youth Project under Craig Sommerville - a TAFE program offered to Aboriginal students from a number of Tamworth High Schools.
This will be a 5 session pilot in digital storytelling, using DSC, Pocket video cam & digital audio.
The workshops cover basic camera and recording skills, basic scripting & storyboarding, editing & presentation.
Stories will come from the students plus a special guest who will attend a session where a story/interview will be recorded by their "host". This element of the project is intended to connect each student with a senior member of the indigenous community.
The project will conclude with a community event/ story sharing session during Harmony Week - from March 21.
The meeting with Eddie Witham has updated us on the state of things with the Sudanese community and provided some valuable background information.
The link below is to a short piece from Feb 2007 on the issue that has prompted Evolveris to undertake this
Meantime,
On Feb 20 we begin filming for the larger project - a meeting of the Tamworth chapter of the Country Women's Association (CWA).
The group meets to plan an event to be run in conjunction with the Sudanese Community.
