Insider / Outsider

A recent tweet from @whiteafrican aka Erik Hersman, one of the co-founders of Ushahidi, triggered a dialog that sparked my thoughts about insiders vs outsiders in development and documentary. The dichotomy is central to choices I've made in my life so I thought I'd share.

Way back when, I was working as the interim director of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania, a local NGO that used a profoundly "insider" approach. Rather than go into communities and tell them how to improve environmental sustainability, we launched a campaign to publicize our grant program. We encouraged local communities to apply for funding for their own projects. The only real criteria were 1) demonstrate broad community support and 2) improve sustainability. I was blown away by the creativity and ingenuity of the projects that were proposed, and I was also struck by the contrast between our work and the work that international NGOs were doing. I loved our "insider" approach.

Later in my life, I made a documentary about modern-day hobos. The journey of making the film became another unexpected lesson in insider vs outsider dichotomy. I started out with grand plans and ambitions only to learn that many trainhoppers had very legitimate concerns about how their pastime was portrayed. For example, I was careful not include any specific information about how to hop a freight train in the final film (much to the dismay of many critics and viewers). I believe that CATCHING OUT reflects an "insider" perspective.

The insider approach is a grassroots, bottom-up approach, but are the terms synonymous? When we speak of insiders, we speak of their knowledge. Insiders know the local landscape -- social and environmental -- and how to navigate it. They recognize boundaries established by history and culture. They understand hearts and minds. They know secrets and superstitions, habits and traditions. They can anticipate what people will protect and what they are willing to expose.

In my experience, these common pitfalls are true for both documentary and development:

• Outsiders fail to listen to / solicit insight from local stakeholders / subjects
• Outsiders come w/ assumptions (ambitions) that cloud their perceptions of local realities
  
• Outsiders aim to do something (make a movie; start a project) FOR rather than WITH the local people. Better to consider how the process can engage and empower the local people.

This isn't to say that outsiders have no role! I was an outsider in Tanzania and in the hobo community. Outsiders can bring fresh eyes to a problem or a story. They can provide a broader context and bring a wider scope of experience. Outsiders may have access to expertise and resources that are locally scarce. So, I think the question is: how can outsiders and insiders work together?

The concept of "creative coopportunity" that I'm currently exploring and developing is very much focused on transcending the insider / outsider dichotomy by infusing local inspiration and creativity with the diverse resources of a crowd of collaborators!

Creative Co-Opportunity

A couple months ago I started thinking about developing an initiative for delivering creative opportunities to aspiring and emerging filmmakers, photographers, musicians, writers, and other artists in places like Kibera, a slum on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya.

I spent several weeks in Kibera last year, documenting the making of the feature film TOGETHERNESS SUPREME (see prior posts about the doc Producing Pamoja), and I heard a constant refrain from the local youth: we don't lack talent; we lack opportunity. The idea for "Creative Co-Opportunity" is an outgrowth of this experience, but it's not limited to Kibera.

At first, I thought of an online platform like Kiva where people would provide micro-loans to artists and their projects. But creative projects are not always income-generating so these loans would not necessarily be repaid. Instead, contributions could be structured as micro-grants and -- unlike a cow or other micro-enterprise -- the final product could be shared with the community online and/or in the form of a book, print or DVD.

But as the concept evolved, I realized that the biggest incentive would be the opportunity to engage. I imagine Creative Co-Opportunity as a network that connects artists and creators w/ patrons and others who can provide needed resources both locally and globally. Not only to support the making of the work, but also ensuring that it is seen and enjoyed. This means more than simple fundraising. Ideally, the network will promote the exchange of ideas, suggestions, contacts, feedback, expertise, moral support and other essentials for success other than just plain money. It could potentially evolve into something like the Unreasonable Institute or the Sundance Institute Lab programs.

Also, the concept of co-opportunity would mean that each artist that receives support would agree to "reciprocate" (a concept I borrowed from Butterflyworks). After completing their own projects, artists become talent scouts and mentors for the next round of artists.

I'm very much inspired by Butterflyworks and also by the mission of the Prince Claus Fund in The Netherlands which views culture as a basic need. My other sources of inspiration include:

• Africa Knows
  
• Picha Mtaani
• Just a Band
• Kuweni Serious
  
• The Mwelu Foundation
• Hot Sun Foundation
• Film Aid
• Project Diaspora

And I found new inspiration this week. CNN profiled award-winning Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu and NPR produced a story about Kenyan writer Stanley Gazemba who won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for literature. Both struggle to find the support they need in Kenya.

Now I feel like it's time to get to work.

Luckily, I don't need to design the online platform from scratch. On my recent visit to Holland, I met with the 1% Club and discussed posting a handful of pilot projects to their existing online platform. They also suggested that I could use the iLab as a base to work from in Nairobi. But still, there's a lot of pieces to put together to make the concept work....

Please, share your thoughts and suggestions. I specifically welcome any insights and recommendations for:

- an organizational structure in Kenya
- advisors and partners both locally and globally
- organizations and individuals to act as talent scouts, identifying emerging talent
- funding!!!