Voice of an African Nation

BY CYNDI GREENING, PHOENIX, AZ — Tonight, it was suggested that I blog from the teacher's perspective. As the person who started this wild and crazy adventure, I guess I'm probably most aware of all that has occurred to get us to this point. It all started as a modest little project to help an MCC student make the first feature film in his country. Since then it has evolved into a more robust and far-reaching project. It's touching more students, including more faculty and affecting more Zambians. It can all get so serious.

While there's a lot of good work we're hoping to do, the truth is, we are all having so much FUN doing it. Every time we're together, the excitement in the room is contagious. The students practically run around, getting and setting up lights and cameras. Like a well-oiled machine, they move through the scenes. Afterwards, they smile and kid around as they put everything away. Cases and cases of equipment are carried around like they're filled with air.

Even more amazing is the relationships that are developing among the crew members. I've worked on other film crews and this is not all that unusual. A friend of mine said that it was classic "siege mentality." There is a closeness that developes between people who endure challenging events together. Whatever the cause, there is a trust, reliance and comaradarie with this crew. As a teacher, I try every day to make a difference with my students. I hope that they learn as much as possible, enjoy themselves AND get value for their time. Weeks of instruction in the classroom don't even come close to impacting students the way the Zambia film project has ... and we haven't even left yet.