Over the last two months, I have had the opportunity to embark myself on a fascinating journey and, taking advantage of my groupmates’ wise guide and advice, to discover the challenges and penuries that novice volunteers will encounter in their own journey. In this final blog, I will re-visit my previous contributions to our hands-on communication blog project, “A Better Volunteer”, and try to show my conclusions and reflections upon a topic of paramount importance for the humanitarian sector.
The traditional one-to-one relation between development and economic growth has given way to a more holistic understanding of the term that encompasses social, environmental and economic wellbeing. Among other theories, Kleine’s approach proffers the idea of development as the freedom of choice – personal, social, economic and political – which a person may value most. In this context, ICT4D work as invaluable catalyzers for human advancement to help people achieve different ‘degrees of empowerment’ regarding choice capabilities. Needless to say, the volunteering sector has been at the cutting edge of ICTs in their strife to ameliorate community life conditions, taking into consideration their impact on the quality and quantity outcomes of volunteering agency.
STOP FILMING US: A documentary about white saviorism
The documentary film ‘Stop filming us’ was released earlier this year and is now being presented in several locations (such as the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin, the Africa museum, Congo in Harlem and several Dutch universities). In the film we see Dutch filmmaker Joris Postema in Goma (Democratic Republic of Congo), where he follows three young Congolese artists. They talk about their struggle and frustration with the western dominance and their city being portrayed as dangerous. Postema’s position as a western filmmaker is being questioned. The movie is intended to create a dialogue between the Congolese reality and the Western perspective. The question however then rises whether a western filmmaker can really give an honest and Congolese perspective. How do the Congolese feel about these white saviors? And are they actually doing something good when trying to do good? Is it even possible for a western filmmaker to leave the stereotypical and western thoughts behind?
I always remember this Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece while having to deal with an unpleasant situation from which I would rather stay away. His dolly zoom effect replicates perfectly the uncomfortable sensation that you experience when your stomach flinches and the subsequent spinning of the head begins.
