Bordr Blog

Same eight cross border traders, four and a half years later.

Over the last two weeks I´ve met again with the participants from our camera-lending project, Across African Borders, from 2010. It´s been a lot of coffee during many hours of talks in hotel lobbies, market stalls, backstreets, and homes of these truly amazing people in Maputo and Blantyre.

I thought I would tell them how we had used their exhibition on their behalf. How we had changed perspectives by presenting their voices and photos in almost two-dozen exhibitions in eight countries. I hoped they would be happy, and maybe impressed, proud. And, sure, they were. But they also told me a lot about what could and should be done better, more, stronger, with more enthusiasm, to a greater effect, next time. They put up new ideas, new concepts, and new energy to keep fighting for their rights. With more cameras, exhibitions, mobile phones and websites as the next steps. Spreading more stories, better. Hopefully.

It has been an amazing couple of weeks. Diving deep into the void of advocacy, change, and empowerment through individual stories, voices, collaboration, discussion, and real participation. The greatest lesson so far is that these kinds of projects need local ownership. It should not be people like me, contextual strangers, who carry them out. People like me can only, and should only be facilitators. Excitingly so, but effective projects need a strong local basis, for local needs, and by local voices. We came part of the way, but not all the way.

And then, for sure, resulting stories can also hold to the world, connecting localities worldwide. Creating a sense that we are all pretty much the same. That we are all humans trying our best to survive. That we all share stories of crossing borders.

Great and heartfelt thanks to Malcolm Damon, Phindiwe Siwela, and Simon Vilakazi at Economic Justice Network in Cape Town (that also organized the first project and African exhibitions), and Moreblessings Chidaushe at NCA for making this time-journey possible! A full report will come!

Now, I´m off to Gaborone, Botswana. New meetings to think about the future. It is a potentially exciting one. ‪#‎africantraders‬ ‪#‎bordr‬