Courtney and I just returned from a very inspiring trip to South Africa. It was a media gathering/creating venture for a ngo called Themba International. Jeff Johnson is the founder and was kind enough to take us along as he returned to his “home away from home” to continue researching eco friendly ways to help the people of South Africa. We traveled with a small media team who’s goal was to capture imagery and create multimedia that would tell the story of the South African people living in a township called Thembalethu. The stories, imagery and content are meant to challenge the viewer to “Consume with Conscience” and provide opportunities for the viewer to be about positive change in their communities in The States while impacting and providing jobs for communities in South Africa. While in country, we branded Themba, started working on some print collateral and the website, and scripted/produced several informational videos. Our media team was filled with outstanding individuals, Jeff’s vision for Themba is right on, and the people we connected and shared stories with were inspiring beyond words.
South Africa is a land of crazy opposition: huge mountains next to the ocean, manicured suburban communities bordering shacks and crime filled townships, fertile land but in the middle of the worst drought in the last 100 years, crazy racial tension, and it’s an odd mix of Euro and African cultures… although extremely beautiful and vibrant with life, there’s just a sort of “tension” you can feel.
by Gary
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