by Marlou de Rouw, for The Constellation

“The reason why we decided to embark on a Visual Journey, is to empower our community members, so that they are able to document the stories within their community”, says Wycliffe Osango from Chambua project in Kenya. 

“Seeing my team win and creating their stories using their phone, was really a Wow! moment, because this captured the passion of wanting to tell their story”, adds Nicole Phionah from Albinism Umbrella in Uganda. 

During their Linking and Learning process, nine Voice multi-country grantee partners embarked on a visual journey. Visual Journeys are an initiative from The Constellation as the Linking and Learning Facilitator for multi-country grantee partners, and their partner, Visual Development. Rightsholders and grantee partner staff are being trained as filmmakers, using the tool that they have at hand:

“It was just an exciting journey! Knowing how to film and knowing I had a phone that I could use as a tool to send information to others!”, says community member Patricia Makende – a newly trained film team member in Kenya. 

Filmmaker and trainer Jessica Rossi supported small teams as they went through training modules where they learn how to hold and manipulate their phone in order to capture the best scenes, and film the best interviews. The Constellation facilitators support the groups in identifying the story that is emerging from the community experience, and the lesson that they want to share with others. A journey it is: with ups and downs from falling camera’s to shortage of bundles for uploading, through tears during interviews, all the way to big excitement at the red carpet launches. Filmmakers and protagonists are sharing what the Journey meant for them in a short movie that they created together (yes, self-filmed again!):  ‘Visual Journey – Sharing the Experience’ which was launched during the Voice Global Learning Festival in Bangkok, in April 24. 

Filmmakers shared that it was not only their personal life that was impacted as they gained confidence, it also impacted the community towards more understanding of the situations of vulnerable rightsholder groups. Interviewees also shared how they felt relief from the opportunity, “There is a little burden taken from him or her, after sharing their story”, tells Paul Birung, a film trainee. 

After 18 months, 9 beautiful stories that rightsholders want the world to know, have seen the light. Let the corn pop and tune in at https://the-constellation.org/learn/visual-journeys/  to let yourself carry away to the daily reality of people with albinism in Uganda and in Tanzania, deaf people in Laos, women and people living with a disability in Kenya, intersex people in the Philippines, refugees in Indonesia, indigenous communities in The Philippines.

Raw stories, without sensation: narratives of hope and stories of aspiration!