Projects
Videohall
Videohall concept by Fiona de Bell, program by Michiel van Oosterhout
As a freelance journalist I am always busy with opinions and images.
Each day a couple of small feature films pass by in front of my eyes in
the Ugandan capital Kampala. This love for story and storytelling has
motivated me to be part of the 1st Amakula Kampala International Film
Festival in May 2004. Stories of poverty I see everyday. I also very clearly
see the differences in social classes. It was that imbalance which made
me aware that for a successful Amakula people, who normally don’t
go to such a festival, should also be able to enjoy real stories from
life. That is how ten shack video halls became venues for the festival.
Most video halls are situated in slums. It is a real practical example
of a product that emerged under circumstances of strain. The video hall
business has its own translators, and is a scene on its own within the
film industry of Uganda. For a small fee you can enter and watch an action
packed movie. Amakula however choose to screen more educative documentaries.
With this other genre of film we tried to stimulate video hall owners
to contemplate an occasional change of program with an emphasis on development.
By living in Kampala I realize how important a roof above your head is
and how a simple improvement can lead to significant changes. Many people
live in a surrounding that is hardly structured in a modern sense. It
makes slum dwellers, although very resilient and prone to seek for solutions
in cooperation with their kin and others, sometimes discouraged. A none
existing sewer system in a humanly packed neighborhood and dangerously
built houses of wood and other second hand rest material spell out lots
of risks that partly could be prevented.
Under such circumstances the appetite for betterment is low. But with
a little encouragement and genuine interest of a development partner a
lot can be achieved. I see that happening in the slums of Kisenyi, one
of the biggest slums in Kampala, where people’s participation has
resulted in more progress for its people because they were listened to
and subsequently toilet blocks were built first before anything else.
This has created a much more hygienic environment to live in.
The fact that Cascoland highlights alternative methods of building is
of great importance. I would like to contribute to that by compiling a
program of films that show how people around the world are looking for
ways of making life as comfortable as possible under the given circumstances.
Through documentaries I would like to make a journey with the audience
and travel with them to faraway places. From haunted Christians who hid
themselves in rocks in Capedocia to chaotic Lagos where even master architect
Rem Koolhaas didn’t come up with some form of solution. From Japanese
commuters who sleep in iron wall coffins to free state Christiana in Denmark.
From igloo building Eskimos to ‘homeless’ pygmies in the forests
of Cameroon. From atomic shelter fanatics in the US to the underground
city Orota in Eritrea.
Also I would like to introduce the concept video hall by photo exhibition
and written material. Going into the surrounding neighborhoods with a
video hall which is easily replaceable and show these films. On the one
hand to try and lure people to Cascoland and on the other to enhance their
thinking when it comes to the ‘do it yourself’ philosophy
of building. Another thing is that together with a local filmer I would
like to make a sort of Polygoon Journal that is shown in the video hall
that is built in the Cascoland village. It can follow the developments
of the building of Cascoland.
Michiel van Oosterhout
