Filmmaker/researcher/arts-educator coming to Kenya!

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

Hello, and please read below about Seraphina , a filmmaker and

screenplay writer who is also doing research about smallpox and its possible

connection to the origin of HIV/AIDS for a thesis. She has volunteered at a

hospital and taught HIV/AIDS education in Namibia, and also has written HIV/AIDS

education plays for children, performed in Namibia and South Africa.

She is coming to Kenya on August 19th and would like to speak with people about

their experiences with HIV/AIDS, record those willing to talk on film, and I

hope work with some of the arts groups in ActALIVE, and others (she has Stan

Tuvako's info already...tuvakoklub2@... ). Perhaps film theater activities

too? She would like to volunteer with some orgs. and she and a friend need a

place or places to stay for several weeks.

Seraphina, please also contact Fred Ouko of Kibera Community Youth Programmes at

kcyp2000@... in Nairobi, for example, and Amani and Denis Kimambo

of ANFORD in Nakuru, w/whom Stan works (kimambodenis@... and

edward_amani@.... Osano Ochieng of the Kenya National Theater, at

osano20012002@..., and Timon Choro of AfricaAlive!Kenya, at

afalivek@... , and see http://www.africaalive.org for more about this

dynamic organization.

There is also CHAPS (puppeteers) in Nairobi (fppschaps@... ), SANAA

Productions (sanaa@... and www.sanaa-productions.org), the Odyssey

Arts Pioneers (contact Ouma Chege at oumaouko@...) . Odyssey works with

Lake Fellowship Centre in Kisumu, and they would be another good org. to visit

if you have time (that is some hours from Nairobi), plus the HQ for KAIPPG in

Mumias and other orgs. in that Western area. Contact Tom Obiero of Lake

Fellowship at tomokeyo@... , and for KAIPPG/Kenya, Onyango at

kaippg@... .

If you get south you might want to contact Kizingo Arts Troupe and Nick Reding

(if he is still in Africa...his home is in the UK); they have made videos of

their work (Nick has commissioned plays from Kizingo which have been performed

in Mombasa and on the road), so are doing some simpatico things! Nick is at

red.ing@... . Another filmmaker--and something else you might want to

consider--is Christof Putzel, who lives in the US but travels to Kenya, and

works closely with the Nyumbani Home for Children, which has a children's choir

you might enjoy filming, if they will give you permission. Christof's powerful

film, Left Behind " , you can see at http://www.leftbehindfilm.com . Contact him

at christofputzel@... (he is based in the US). You can contact the

Nyumbani Home through the music director, Don Rawzi, who is at DRAWZI2@...

, and there is also another home/school called The Galillee School, which you

can contact through Lorna Waddington at lorna.waddington@... .

Christa Cepuch, a pharmacist who is now with HAI (www.haiafrica.org ) and

working on the Essential Medicines campaign, knows a number of artists, and also

will have a more medical orientation, so you might contact her at

christa@.... You might be able to interview Dr. Chung of the

Tumaini Project (at Kenyatta Hospital, I think), a pilot ARV program, whose

wife/partner, Vivianne Chao, is a microcredit expert with a focus on HIV/AIDS,

and a musician (mhchung@... and vchao@... ). You

might want to contact KANCO, the Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium, with 750 member

orgs., as they have a great database of HIV/AIDS orgs and those working in the

arts. They are at kenaids@..., and see http://www.kanco.org . And the

women's orgs. SWAK, KENWA, and WOFAK, all located in Nairobi

(swak@... , kenwa@... , wofak@...).

This is just a start, but should be helpful. Folks, please let Seraphina know if

she can volunteer her time to you while she's there, and contact her about what

she can in the arts. As I said, she would like to find places to stay, so hope

we can arrange that in Nakuru and elsewhere. I will post this note to the

ActALIVE and ARYI forums, and AIDS treatments, where many people/orgs might see it

and also respond. Seraphina can be reached at seraphinarichardson@... .

With greatest thanks and all best wishes, and let's keep in touch, Seraphina, as

I look forward to helping in any way I can (and I'm sure that's ditto for a lot

of us)! Janet kaippg@...

Hi again.

I booked the ticket today and I will arrive in Nairobi August 19th. I have a

friend, , who is also coming because she is the camera person and I

can't conduct and interview and film it at the same time. Makes sense. I

thought I could be creative about it but I think I'd miss a lot. So, It's

just the two of us. We are staying until Sept 1st. I would love to connect

to with Stan.

Again, we are willing and excited to do any volunteering needed. I have a

gigantic performing arts and playwriting background and I have done AIDS ed

through performance art before in Namibia.

We spoke about it briefly but, will it be possible to find a place to stay?

Also, I don't want to bombard you with too many questions but do you know of

anyone who is willing to really talk openly about the disease? Are there

places we could get footage at in the most respectful way and possibly

interview doctors in local hospitals dealing with this epidemic? You may not

know the answer to any of that but It's a good place to start. Thanks you so

much for all your help and encouragement so far. We are so excited to go.

Sincerely,

Seraphina

>From: " Janet Feldman " <kaippg@...>

>Reply-kaippg@...

> " Seraphina " <seraphinarichardson@...>

>Subject: RE: volunteering?

>Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 16:24:02 -0400

>

>Dear Seraphina,

>Hello and great to hear from you! I think you'd come into Nairobi, which

>would be the most central, and let me suggest this to you: the person who

>has hosted some other volunteers and also is working in the arts is now in

>Bangkok at the conference, where he is today giving a presentation on the

>arts and ICTs in Nakuru (abt. an hr. from Nairobi) as applied to HIV/AIDS

>education and prevention. His name is Stan Tuvako, and I would love to hook

>you up with him--that might be a most likely spot to go too--but the best

>thing will be post-conference, in about a week to 10 days. So my suggestion

>is this: can you wait to go to Kenya till early August or even mid-August,

>as he won't be back until about the 21st-22nd, and I can hook you up with

>him then. There might be a few other folks too, but I know them less well;

>however, I can do some networking in the next week if you need to get there

>within a couple weeks' time (I have some contacts in Nairobi, for example,

>working with a youth group--in fact, part of a youth group--in the Kibera

>slums on edutainment, or a Kenyan man who's been here in the US working on

>an MA in theater for development and is now back in Kenya for a few months,

>or an actor with the Kenya National Theater). So let me know if your

>timeframe has some " give " and you could go in 3 weeks, let's say. Thanks a

>lot and look forward to helping you get there and finding a great

>placement! All best wishes, Janet

>

>

> > [Original Message]

> > From: Seraphina <seraphinarichardson@...>

> > <kaippg@...>

> > Date: 7/13/2004 9:42:09 PM

> > Subject: RE: volunteering?

> >

> >

> > First, sorry about the blank email I just sent--finger slip. second, I

>got

> > some funding today! not a lot but enough for a ticket. I can save up a

>bit

> > as well but I am thinking of trying to make the trip in a couple weeks

>and I

> > would only stay for two-five weeks. Does that still sound like something

>you

> > might be able to help with?

> >

> > I have written many AIDS ed plays for children and performed at schools

> > throughout Namibia and South Africa. I am hoping to find some folks to

> > connact with and a place to land. i'm willing to help with anything

>needed

> > in hopes for a place to stay while I work. I would love to help with

> > anything performance or art related especially. Where do we go from

>here?

> > also, if I start to research plane ticket costs, what airport am I

>looking

> > to fly into in Kenya?

> >

> > Thanks so much...talk soon

> >

> > Seraphina

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > >From: " Janet Feldman " <kaippg@...>

> > >Reply-kaippg@...

> > > " Seraphina " <seraphinarichardson@...>

> > >Subject: RE: volunteering?

> > >Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 11:17:42 -0400

> > >

> > >Dear Seraphina,

> > >Hello and great to hear from you! We can indeed talk about what you

>might

> > >do in Kenya when you are ready, not only with regard to HIV/AIDS and

> > >volunteering, but also the arts, if you are amenable, as " entertainment

> > >education " is big now, and many orgs--our own included--are using the

>arts

> > >to address HIV/AIDS and human-development challenges. I have actually

> > >organized an international arts coalition, called ActALIVE, whose

>members

> > >use the arts to address HIV/AIDS, and we have 250 members in 25

>countries

> > >now. Please see http://www.actalive.org . Let me know what your plans

>are

> > >as you progress, and will hook you up with folks/orgs in Kenya w/whom

>you

> > >can work out a possible plan. Thanks so much and look forward to

>hearing

> > >from you!! All best wishes, Janet Feldman, KAIPPG/International,

> > >kaippg@...

> > >

> > >

> > > > [Original Message]

> > > > From: Seraphina <seraphinarichardson@...>

> > > > <kaippg@...>

> > > > Date: 7/11/2004 4:52:02 PM

> > > > Subject: volunteering?

> > > >

> > > > I'm writing to inquire about possibly volunteering for your program.

>I

> > >am

> > > > currently writing my theis on The smallpox vaccine and it's possible

> > >link to

> > > > the origin of the AIDS virus. I spent a year in namibia recently

> > > > volunteering at a hospital and teaching AIDS ed although my

>background

> > >in

> > > > not medical I have done an insane amount of related research for

>this

> > >piece.

> > > > I am in film and I am working on a screenplay for this thesis which

>is

> > > > pending production upon completion.

> > > >

> > > > I have applied for a grant and am very hopeful that it will come

> > >through, If

> > > > so I will be looking for a program to volunteer for as I feel an

>nagging

> > > > ache to return to Africa. I have a lot of interest in visiting

>Kenya.

>I

> > >need

> > > > to write the project but I also need to do something. I know I don't

> > >have a

> > > > lot of expertise to offer but I have my time and I'm very healthy

>and

> > > > strong. Can I be any use to you if I came? If not do you have any

> > >advice

> > > > of where i might begin looking? Thank you so much for your time.

> > > >

> > > > Sincerely,

> > > >

> > > > Seraphina

> > > > (413) 586-5203

> > > >

> > > > _________________________________________________________________

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>

_________________________________________________________________

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Janet Feldman

kaippg@...

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