YouTubeing East Africa

Internet video is changing the world. As developing nations leapfrog old communication technology in favor of new, digital Internet based forms of telling the story, a window of opportunity opens. In the fall of 2006 I was in Kitgum, Northern Uganda shooting footage for a documentary about forgiveness in the aftermath of war. During our visit, we shot, edited and uploaded short video clips from a tiny, phone line connected Internet café on the dusty streets of Kitgum.

My Kenyan friend George Arende and I got to thinking… “If we can upload video clips from this rural outpost, why not share the technology and allow East African’s to upload their own stories?”

Later conversations with staff from ELCA Global Mission and the ELCA World Hunger Appeal led to a grant, which allowed me to purchase four high-powered laptop computers, video cameras and software.

In March 2008, George, a web developer friend Len Mason, myself and five East Africans from Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Madagascar will meet in Nairobi. We will spend four days at the Methodist Guest House, shooting, editing and uploading video clips to the Internet. When the workshop is over, the team will return home with their equipment, charged with the mission of teaching others how to use it.

Originally we planned the workshop for January 2008. However, the post election violence in Kenya forced a postponement. The chaos underscores the need for clear communication. By March, we trust things will have calmed down and our project will move forward.

The East Africans I have met are smart and technologically savvy - they just don't have the right tools. Equipped with proper technology, perhaps African can begin to solve problems on its own.
www.frakesproductions.com

Workshop Postponment

Unfortunately the unstable political situation in Nairobi Kenya forces us to postpone our Web Video Training Workshop scheduled for January 16-22, 2008. At the request of the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church and out of concerns for our
safety and well being, we have agreed to look for a suitable date in March, 2008.

Please continue to look to this web site and direct email communication for updates.

Tim Frakes
www.frakesproductions.com

Election riots ‘cost Kenya up to $1bn’

Election riots ‘cost Kenya up to $1bn’
George Obulutsa
Reuters
NAIROBI — Kenya’s post-election violence might have cost the economy up to $1bn, Finance Minister Amos Kimunya said , as Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga rejected bilateral talks with the country’s president yesterday.

“It’s an estimate of the slowdown in the economy because of loss of production. My estimate was that about $1b n may have been lost,” Kimunya said. He said the estimate did not factor in destruction by looters who went on the rampage when President Mwai Kibaki was pronounced the winner of the December 27 vote, but did take into account two extra election-related public holidays. “I expect whether it’s within the next couple of months or within a year ... that people will be able to recoup all that,” Kimunya said.

Three days after the election Kenya’s business community said the government was losing taxes worth 2-billion shillings ($30,42m ) a day due to the unrest. But there has been a gradual return to normality in east Africa’s biggest economy, with currency and stock markets reporting higher volumes as trade resumed in earnest this week. The weekly tea auction, which serves Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania among others, resumed on Monday after being postponed. Kimunya later told a news conference the economy was forecast to grow about 7% this year, similar to growth estimates for last year — but slightly lower than the central bank’s projection of 8% growth this year. Official growth figures for last year have not yet been released.
“We are encouraged that Kenyans are actively bringing to an end the recent unrest, and the growth forecast … may not be significantly affected.”

Affected sectors include tourism, transport, telecommunications, agriculture, manufacturing and the financial sector. Kimunya said emergency government relief to the hundreds of thousands of people uprooted by the unrest would not greatly affect its budget deficit, put at 109,8- billion shillings in the 2007-08 fiscal year, thanks to extra revenues. “Fortunately we have also had some windfalls. For example, we sold Telkom Kenya for much more than we expected,” he said. Last month a consortium led by France Telecom paid $390m for a 51% stake in Telkom Kenya. The government had a reserve price of $300m .

Kimunya said higher tax revenue collections would also help cushion the extra spending, while plans for a $300m Eurobond early this year would boost infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, Odinga yesterday rejected bilateral talks with Kibaki, dimming hopes for a breakthrough to end turmoil that has led to almost 500 deaths. Odinga insists on international mediation and a new poll. Kibaki had invited Odinga to talks on Friday, but the opposition leader said he would only go to negotiations mediated by African Union chairman John Kufuor, who was expected in Nairobi yesterday.

“We want to engage in the negotiations under Mr Kufuor with utmost seriousness to make sure no stone remains unturned in the search for electoral justice,” Odinga said.

Workshop Schedule

Wednesday, January 16, 2007
9:30 a.m. Andy Hinderlie and Xaivier Ravelomanantsoa arrive in Nairobi via Air Madagascar flight 138. Habari Yako Gabriel from Just Connections Car Rental (justconnections2001@yahoo.com) will provide transportation to the Methodist Guest House. Lavington Green, Oloitokitok Road, Off Gitanga Road. Ph: +254 (20) 3871080,3877779,3875979,3870479,3877700.
E-mail: reservations@methodistguesthouse.org
Web: www.methodistguesthouse.org

8:10 p.m. Tim Frakes and Len Mason Arrive in Nairobi via KLM flight, Habari Yako Gabriel from Just Connections Car Rental  (justconnections2001@yahoo.com) will provide transportation to the Methodist Guest House. Methodist Guest House. Lavington Green, Oloitokitok Road, Off Gitanga Road. Ph: +254 (20) 3871080,3877779,3875979,3870479,3877700.
E-mail: reservations@methodistguesthouse.org
Web: www.methodistguesthouse.org

Thursday, January 17
8:00 a.m. Tim, Len, Andy and George meet, review project, site survey.
12:00 p.m. Ato Abraham Data arrives via Air Ethiopia flight 801.
3:45 p.m. Rev. David Ntidendeza arrives via Kenya Airways flight 474.
Yako Gabriel from Just Connections Car Rental
(justconnections2001@yahoo.com) will provide transportation to the Methodist Guest House. Methodist Guest House. Lavington Green, Oloitokitok Road, Off Gitanga Road. Ph: +254 (20) 3871080,3877779,3875979,3870479,3877700.
E-mail: reservations@methodistguesthouse.org
Web: www.methodistguesthouse.org

Friday, January 18,
Session One
8:00 a.m. Devotions (Any Hinderlie)
8:15 a.m. Introductions, discussion of expectations
8:45 a.m. Vision and Expectations (Tim Frakes)
9:30 a.m. Introduction to Flip Video, camera techniques, importing (Tim, Len)
10:15 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. Equipment distribution, laptop, camera, etc.
10:30 a.m. Pinnacle PIS11SW Studio v11 Video Editing Software
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Continue Pinnacle Video Editing Software (Tim, Len)
2:00 p.m. Uploading video to the web (Len)
3:00 p.m. Practical exercise (Participants shoot, edit and prepare 30-60
second video for upload.)
4:30 p.m. Feedback
5:00 p.m. Dinner

Saturday, January 19
Session Two
8:00 a.m. Devotions (Andy)
8:30 a.m. Discussion (How can we use this technology in the African context?)
9:00 a.m. Pinnacle PIS11SW Studio v11 Video Editing Software part 2.
10:00 a.m. break
10:15 a.m. Web site development (Len)
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Travel to location (TBA) to shoot story number 1.
2:00 p.m. Arrive location (TBA), record footage for story
5:00 p.m. Return to base camp
5:45 p.m. Feedback
6:00 p.m. Dinner

Sunday, January 20
8:00 a.m. Worship (Location to be determined)
10:00 a.m. Editing footage from previous day (Tim and Len supervise)
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Free time
5:00 p.m. Travel to location (TBA) to shoot story number 2 and 3
8:00 p.m. wrap, return to base camp

Monday, January 21
8:00 a.m. Devotions (Andy)
8:15 a.m. Feedback from previous day
8:30 a.m. Edit/upload footage from story number 2.
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Edit/upload footage from story number 3.
5:00 p.m. Dinner

Tuesday, January 22
8:00 a.m. Devotions
8:15 a.m. Still photography and story telling.
9:00 a.m. Share work with participants.
10:00 a.m. Training of Trainers
12:00 p.m. wrap

Accommodations

The Methodist Guest House and Conference Centre in Nairobi is a Christian institution whose mission is to provide and promote quality and competitive service in a friendly, pleasant and quiet environment. There are 84 fully furnished self-contained rooms, each supplied with a telephone service. Television sets have been installed in the rooms to provide national and global news and a rich mix of entertaining programs to our esteemed guest. Our location in the exclusive Lavington suburb provides a unique and ideal distraction-free, tranquil and serene environment.