Greater Than We Imagined
BY KATIE GREISIGER, GILBERT, USA - During one of our last meetings we spoke into the camera about why we wanted to help on this project and what impact it will have on the future, not only for our careers and aspirations locally, but for Zambia. I had not realized the impact on Zambia until the words left my mouth, "We are going to help a COUNTRY." This is a realization that is greater than I could have ever imagined and I am even more honored to be a part of this revolutionary experience.
It is so hard to completely rationalize the impact until we actually travel to Zambia. I feel sometimes that Africa, Europe and other "far away lands" are almost imaginary because of my lack of experience with travel. I know limited information about these places and cultures and realize that is why it is hard for others to understand the problems that some cultures face on a daily bases: genocide, starvation, epidemics. We watch these familiar news stories on television and come to accept them as ordinary and other people's problems; these social issues are not felt as our own because we are not affected in the same ways. For example, as Americans we cannot fully understand the struggle of youth illnesses and deaths in some countries, it is assumed that children will grow up to be adults with little worry about living past age one or three.
The lack of understanding of these world-wide issues is what motivates me the most to help with BAD TIMING and VOICE OF AN AFRICAN NATION. I know that these projects will motivate others to take action and help other nations. And, in what better way than through indpendent film can we bring other cultures and the issues they face to the world? We are going to make a difference.