WINDHOEK– The next screenings in the “Inspiring Young Imaginations” flim series for young people by the AfricaAvenir, Franco-Namibia Cultural Centre (FNCC) and Hope Initiatives Southern Africa- Namibia (HISA) are on March 28 as part of the 25th Namibian Independence Celebrations.
The screening at the FNCC will feature two Namibian short films, Eembwiti and Tuuli. Tuuli is about a curious young girl in Northern Namibia trying to learn and grow up as her surrounding demands. One day, a mishap happens to her, and Tuuli finds a way to solve the problem. The movie forms part of the TV series ‘Open a door”, produced by Ragdoll. The significance of this film is that the story is told throughout without any dialogue.
Eembwiti is about a Namibian family from the busy city of Windhoek, travel up north to the village to visit their granny. The children are especially snobby and seem more interested in their iPod and cell phones than their new rural surroundings. On what seems like a boring holiday, the spoilt kids upset their Granny when they break village customs and norms. Just when it seems their new environment is impossible, they find fun and adventure in the culture they fought so hard to resist.
Meanwhile the three partners have successfully started the children’s series ‘Inspiring Young Imaginations’ with two screenings at the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency and at the FNCC with full house screenings.
Last year, AfricAvenir Windhoek initiated “Inspiring Young Imaginations”, a monthly African film series for children and youths. The idea originated from lack of access and opportunities for children to watch inspiring, entertaining and educative movies with African content. The films are from all over the African continent and tell in an entertaining and educative way stories from the perspective of children and young people about African history, cultures, different identities, social realities, adventures and experiences. According to Hans-Christian Mahnke, AfricAvenir Chairperson, the two screenings were attended by more than 120 children followed by discussions about the film and how it relates to the lives of our young audience.
Mahnke says the screenings are important for children and youth in Namibia to see movies they can relate to and identify themselves with. “We want to see the beauty of African stories and experiences; to discover the diversity of the African continent; and to plant a seed in them, to want to tell their own stories too and trigger their own imagination in telling stories,” he says.