VIDEO FOR COMMUNITY!


community video activists from all over Asia!


Field work screening and discussion of video with community


Preparing the shots for screening


shooting community member in the field


Role playing to help participants learn interview techniques


Participants come from 8 Asian countries


Actual community discussions in the field


Jo Hann emphasising that video is a tool for community organising


Interviewing organic farmer during field work


Anna Har sharing about developing a video story


Participants engaged in group dynamics in training sessions


Arul Prakkash sharing about the elements of community video


Participant share his views about developing a story



Yoga leading the field work team in urban poor area


Intense discussions continues during the 7 days workshop


Field work interview in the urban poor community


collecting data from community member during field work

It was obvious that in “COMMUNITY VIDEO”, the emphasis is on the word “community” and then the word “video” 20 participants from 8 Asian countries gathered in Kuala Lumpur for 7 days to exchange experiences and learn new skills and perspective on Community Video from 18^th to 25^th. April 2010.

The event was organized by the South East Asia Popular Communications Programme (SEAPCP) an Asian regional network of community organizers and it was the first of its kind to be organized by the organization.

Local host KOMAS is a Human Rights NGO in Malaysia with 17 years experiences in advocating for human rights issues together with grassroots communities. They use creative media approaches such as video, photographs, group dynamics, and other means to design and mount human rights campaign with different groups in Malaysia.

Participants from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Burma, Timor Leste, Pakistan, India, Mongolia intensively picked up skills and approaches in using the powerful medium of video film to facilitate and support community issues.

The event also included a 1-day field work experience in 4 communities namely the urban poor longhouse community in North Jinjang, Poor communities in Banting, Refugees in Kajang area, and an organic farm in Batu Arang.

The idea of the field work was to have a first hand experience in using video to document an issue and immediately to screen it to the community for discussions and feedback. This powerful approach did not require much time for editing and other technical demands as in the usual production of a film.

Community video employs simple approaches where the medium is used as a tool to capture images, interviews and live action, which can in turn be shown back to the community to provoke discussions, analysis, planning and ultimately to spur them to actions in addressing their issues.

Facilitators for the workshop were experienced and skilled community organizing and video experts. Anna Har, an experienced community videographer and professional Director has been very involved in supporting and training communities to use video for their issues. Arul Prakkash is presently the Coordinator of the KOMAS Community Video Project.

Jo Hann Tan, SEAPCP Community organizing Coordinator and Executive Director of KOMAS was also there to conduct several sessions especially in discussing the perspective frame and concept & practice of community video. Yoga Atmaja from Kawan Nusa Bali Indonesia was invited to share his ground experiences in using community video to organize grassroots farm communities in Bali.

At the end of the workshop, most participants felt these skill and approaches are very crucial and relevant to their work. Since this workshop could not include many others from each country, it was suggested to conduct echo workshops or replication sessions in different respective areas of the participants.

Meanwhile all participants were asked to continue their work and to share their experiences and short community videos through the internet streaming utility so that all can view their stories and videos. This is expected to happen within the next 2 months until end of June.

By Jo Hann Tan

"A VIDEO PAINTS A MILLION WORDS"

SEAPCP COMMUNITY VIDEO WORKSHOP IN MALAYSIA

A picture paints a thousand words, a video film will indeed paint millions of words! This is the basic spirit that has motivated SEAPCP to develop community video among the grassroots communities in different South East Asian countries about 17 years ago.

Since then, SEAPCP has established community video units and centers in different parts of Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Thailand and Cambodia. These are set up to mainly support community organising work and not just to produce "beautiful video films".

In these 17 years, the first trainees of SEAPCP community video have already established their own network of community video practitioners on the ground and have used different types of short films, simple cut to cut productions, news bulletin coverage, or just "shoot and show" techniques to reach out to communities.

These simple approaches are different from the usual video productions that takes weeks and even months to produce. They are used as tools for awareness raising, analysis, and even preparing communities for actions. Sometimes images are shot in the morning and shown in the afternoon for discussions and analysis.

To further strengthen the already existing network of community video practitioners, SEAPCP will be organising its first Asian wide community video workshop in Malaysia from April 18-26 2010. This event is for carefully identified participants who have been involved in community organising and also using the video film medium to support their work.

It is hoped that as a follow up of this event, localised in-country workshops will be organised to enable a further reach of participants for each country. Furthermore it can be conducted in their local languages and include more local community organisers to develop the community video tool for their work.

Keep tuned into this blog to get the latest about this exciting event of SEAPCP!

by: Jo Hann Tan
SEAPCP community organising coordinator

Mr. Makoto Arakaki (An Interview)

He was born in Naha city (in Okinawa Japan). After graduating from high school, he went to UCLA, USA to study about the minority issues in America. Since 2004 until now he has been involved in the present activities. In 2005 he established an international Network NGO called “ONE LOVE” together with his students based on the theory of international relationships. He is 43 yeas old and lives in Nakashiro village, Okinama prefecture.

We cannot just be strong leaders but it is essential to build up a closer connection to the other party

Mr. Makoto Arakaki

Pofessor of Okinawa Christian University.

He takes his students to other Asia counties and is also active as a community Organiser.

1. How did you start this activity?

In 2006, my Filipino friend asked me to join a program for local youth to learn to stand on their own feet in the slum areas in Manila. I went and saw for myself the problems there such as gangsterism, drug addiction and others.

I would just cook soup with young people and sell it to their neighbors but actually they could not make much money. So I brought my student there and made them discuss about what they can do together with the slum community people. We started to make accessories like a holder for a hand phone and try to sell it in Japan. I stayed there with my students. The young people there are discriminated against and their neighbors would feel afraid and stay away from them. These young people continued their exchange with my students and gradually they grew more self-confidence.

I participated in a community organizing training program organized by SEAPCP in Indonesia in 2007 and in Malaysia in 2009.

2. A Community Organizer is not a social activist leader?

A Community Organizer can not be a strong leader. CO work is to facilitate people to become aware of the problems among themselves and encourage them to plan a strategy of what can be done.

3. What kind of activity you do in Okinawa?

Okinawa has some significant issues such the US bases, the destruction of the environment and development and others. So we are always in the front line of civil society movement. Many activists support from outside and we help the residents to see the difference between the positive and the negative factors. It is sometimes very difficult to use CO approaches. I encourage my students to participate in these activities including being abroad in the Philippines to improve their awareness about the common issues between them and Okinawa.

4. Do you think need there is a need to build closer relations with other Community Organizers in Asia?

There is exploitation of people everywhere because of the free trade agreement between countries and multinational corporations on a global level. It is essential to build up a closer connection between local people to fight against these big enemies. The participants of SEAPCP training were from Mongolia, India, and other SEA countries. The network linkages remain closely and strong.

(Interviewer: Mr.Nishiyama, Asaha Shimbun)