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!