Opportunities to Success

The first Opportunities to Success (OTS) event was held this year as part of the Njoya Foundation’s series of events during Black History Month in October. The event was designed to attract the target audience of the foundation; young men between the ages of 15-21 and give them brief insights into the careers of successful black men in the UK. The day included talks by men from various career streams including, IT, Media and Entrepreneurs, discussing how they made their career choices and what their vocations involve.

OTS was designed to provide the exact type of practical support that is lacking in career advice to the black community. An opportunity to engage with realistic role models who are well turned out, eloquent and successful whilst providing clarity to how they got to where they are, and dispelling the myth that you have to be ‘lucky’ in order to move beyond the negative typecasts.

The speakers were chosen partly because of their willingness to share their stories with the audience, but also because they demonstrated the diversity of career options open to individuals willing to look within as well as beyond the mainstream. Their talks showcased examples of their work as well as their social life and lifestyle. Read more.

Diaspora Diaries

As part of the Njoya Foundation’s series of events during Black History Month in October, they hosted the screening of young up and coming director, Beyonder’s Diaspora Diaries at the Wimbledon Film Club in south London.

The film was the first for Beyonder although it will definitely not be the last as the audience was also treated to some spoken poetry by the director as well as a second short-film telling the story of the world’s reliance on the digital domain. This second short film was an excellent prelude to the main showing of Diaspora Diaries.

According to Beyonder, this film started out as a vox pop project for the Africa 05 (season of arts and African culture) turned into an hour long examination of what it is to be in the African Diaspora. It was absolutely riveting to watch, not least because as an African living in the Diaspora myself, I felt an instant connection with the stories and experiences being shared. Stories about what it is to move to Europe as a child and be confronted with a culture that is alien to you. Stories about being bilingual, about trying to embrace pop culture while struggling not to hate who you are and where you came from. Stories about becoming distant from ‘home’, about being set aside as different by your own family members and eventually recognising who you are and finding a place for yourself in the world you have chosen, or that your parents choose for you.

People from Rwanda, Madagascar, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, Congo, Brazil, each telling their own story, none of them unique, but all different at the same time. In this film Beyonder takes great care to make sure you hear the voices of each person, some have a factual perspective, some have an emotional perspective and others, such as Mr Derek Reece from Barbados combine facts, emotion and comedy in a uniquely Caribbean way. What resonates with you is the fact that you hear their voices, their English accents, their French rolls, their African lilts, the Caribbean twang and other accents that themselves tell a story about an international lifestyle. Read more

Unfound Titles

We have found many interesting titles new and old in 2008 and we wanted to share some of them with you.

Killer of Sheep

Long heralded as one of the greatest "unseen" works of American cinema, Charles Burnett's 1977 independent film, Killer of Sheep, was chosen by the National Society of Film Critics as one of the 100 Essential Films to see before you die.

Charles Burnett’s films focus on everyday life in black communities in a manner unseen in American cinema. Never realised due to various issues, the film was finally restored in 2007 and made available on DVD in late 2007.

Killer of Sheep can be found online or from most DVD retail outlets.

Bamako

Written and directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, Bamako tackles keys issue of our time.

Set in the traditional courtyard of an African home in the capital city of Mali, Bamako offers an opportunity for ordinary Africans to face the representatives of the international financial institutions that supposedly exist to eradicate poverty in which a very non-traditional tribunal. Bamako explores all the hardships brought on by economic globalization. It is a powerful film that was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and in film festivals around the world.

Outside The Box

Cultural identity, love, skeletons in the wardrobe, dreams, friendship and trying to buck the system sound like too many subjects for one book?

Well not if your Writer J.Ola Dimeji who in ‘Outside The Box’ weaves all these subjects together and more like a master tailor. The book’s main character Deoye is London born and has just returned to try to launch his career in Media after spending his teens in Nigeria. Getting his foot in the door proves to be a far from simple task whilst his meeting with Amane a Kuwaiti Sheikh’s daughter provides more questions to answer in the direction of his life.

Enquiries on Outside The Box can be made to Da_1mej@yahoo.co.uk