Want to be an Independent Producer?

People frequently ask me "how can I do what you do?" Here is a list of qualifications to be an independent producer -- by Catherine Vibert, an independent producer in the United States, from the Association of Independents in Radio listserve.

I would only add one more: for those who don't have the luxury of someone in the household with a good income -- keep the expenses low. (Easier to remember if you remind yourself frequently that this isn't just your job .. it's your life ...)

Skill Set for a Media Indie:
by Catherine Vibert, independent producer

The required skillset for independent contributors to the current media marketplace is manifold. For radio submissions alone, an indie must be skilled as:

An audio technician.
A computer junkie.
A great interviewer.
A bitchin writer.
A persistant journalist.
A brutal editor.
An awesome storyteller.
A narrator with "the voice".
A sociologist or anthropologist and/or extremely well read.
Sensitive and compassionate about inequities.
A musician (Actually, not necessary but it seems so many are, indeed one wonders how many came to public radio due to their involvement in music.)
A thorough researcher.
A good marketer.
Excellent at sales and followup.
Able to create extra time out of nowhere to listen regularly to every episode of all the programs on all public and foreign outlet radio so they are thoroughly prepared to pitch to that show�s exact style and flare.
Able to drink 10 cups of coffee in a single shot, 10 times a day.
Fearless
Rich, or married to someone who can support them.

Keeping current with contemporary media options, (and one must or they may be left behind, because as one knows, this is The Way of Progress) add photography, videography, web design, blogging, web presence management, video editing, creative slideshow creation, hours spent on researching solicitation opportunities online, oh, and the ability to pull money out of nowhere to pay for the endless supply of equipment and updates needed. If one can master all of the above, one finds they have themselves a skill set to reckon with!

And truly, once one has mastered a skill set such as that, should one really have to ask for fair remuneration for their efforts? Yes, methinks, to ask, perchance, to eat

More questions ...

From my journal .. a continuation of the last entry of October 9th, about journalism, honesty and compassion ...

Here is one of the questions I've been asking myself:

How do we blend compassion and love with clarity and truthfulness in the stories we write? How do we tell the truth without sacrificing the dignity of the person about whom I am telling the truth?

How do I tell the truth about Leah's life in the slum in a way that empowers her and doesn't hold her up to people's feelings of pity? Or cause her to feel embarrassed about her poverty? Or treat her story as a commodity?

As I reflect on this, my quandry isn't so great in this case. Because Leah is a journalist who knows that we have to bring things to people's attention if they are ever going to change. She invited me to Korogocho willingly.

A week or so before I went into Korogocho, a couple of women from the conference and I went to the Kibera slum, the largest in Nairobi. In this case, we were not invited. And of course, I wanted to write about what I saw. But I didn't. I did take pictures, though. So what made this experience different than the visit to Korogocho with Leah?

The difference was that I was invited to go to Korogocho by someone who lives there. There is a new kind of tourism evolving ... it's called "pro-poor tourism". It's also known as "dark tourism", where people are wanting to see the darker sides of life. For what purpose .. I guess it depends on who you ask. For me, the objective is to learn. And to empathize.

I didn't feel good about being in Kibera. It felt like I was capturing their images without a way to understand the context.

An important moment happened in Korogocho, which summarized the difference for me. We were taking pictures, Frieda and I. With Leah's permission, always deferring to her for direction about when it was alright and when it wasn't. Whenever Leah said "yes, it's fine to take a picture" we would. So I thought we were being sensitive.

Nonetheless, a man stopped us and asked "how does your picture taking help the people who live here?"

This is a critical question -- for journalists, and for everyone who captures another person's image. How does this picture help this person> Or how does this story I am telling help this person?

It was an uncomfortable moment, but I am glad he asked.

A postscript on the "pro-poor" tourism angle --I asked Leah, what is the difference between her taking us into the slum, and somebody else? She said it all depends on the motivation. They are very sensitive about other people making money when the community doesn't benefit. They take a dim view of companies who are doing this, even when they are employing local people who live there to show tourists around. The benefits don't come to the community. I suspect it also sets up issues of jealousy and envy, which is bound to happen in places where everyone is scrambling to get by.

The tourist guidebooks say that any tourist who goes into a slum in Africa is putting themselves in danger and setting themselves up to be robbed. I didn't feel unsafe at all. Then again, I was with someone who lived there, and who is known and respected. That's what makes the difference.

I don't think I'll post a picture with this entry ...

Flying out of Africa

I am going back to my journal to the thoughts I wrote while I was in Africa. This entry was written on October 9th on the plane, about 15,000 feet over Kenya.

For the first time (or maybe the second) I am feeling a small rush of emotion. Throughout this trip my emotions have felt damped down a bit. Which is good. I've been able to feel exhiliration but not fear (except a couple of minor times .. like riding on the matatus yesterday ... these crazy overpacked busses that get people around the city. And almost getting lost in a crowd of 50,000 at a presidential rally in Nakuru.)

I am doing much better at travelling -- the culture shock wasn't as great as it was in India last year. And overall, I was much more relaxed.

I was able to do more this time ... last year I never would have had the emotional strength to go into a place like Korogocho. And I don't think I would have been as free and relaxed as I was with the kids at the orphanage.

I also look at how I've changed as a journalist. I'm not as rigid as I used to be, both in my approach to my stories and also how I deal with the people who are in muy stories. I'm much more relaxed about pulling out my mike, and because of this, I've come back with a wider range of material.

This has been a goal of mine for the last 3 years -- to merge the things I've learned about compassion and justice which I've (slowly) learned to apply to myself .. and place my work within that same compassionate framework. Simply put, to get to the point where I am approaching every story from a place of love, passion, equality and fairness. Rather than frustration and anger.

I am sad to see how many journalists approach their work from fear. Which is why we get stories that are often so angry. And how the traditional journalistic method of "objectivity" often serves to distance us from ourselves.

My goal is to integrate the inner self with the outer world in a ways that reflects connection with the world outside of ourselves. Rather than distance and disconnection, which is the state of much contemporary journalism.

Not sure how I am going to do this yet .... not even sure what my new working definitions are. All I know is that there is a different way to write about the world than the one I've be taught ....

Korogocho

It always takes me a long time to process what I've seen and experienced when I've been away.

Of all the places I went during my Africa trip, Korogocho is the one which is occupying most of my thoughts.

I met a wonderful young woman named Leah Murugi at the conference I was at .. The International Association of Women in Radio and Television. Leah was invited to speak because she works at Koch FM, a tiny radio station deep in the heart of the Korogocho Slum. Korogocho is the third largest slum in Nairobi, with half a million people living in a space the size of six city blocks.

We connected because I did a workshop on listening and collecting sounds, and she wanted to use some of my ideas to work with children. I was really happy about this ...

Then she invited me, and my friend Frieda (also from Canada) to visit the radio station and her home. I felt very honoured and privileged ... it must have taken some kind of trust for Leah to have the confidence to say "this is where I live ..." and not be worried about being judged or getting a bad reaction from us.

Also, Leah is a journalist. She understands that things never change unless people are shown the things that need changing. As her bright red Radio Koch T-shirt says:





Since returning home, I have read some articles on the internet by other people who have visited Korogocho. Many of these articles focus on the despair, the filth, the poverty, the City of Nairobi garbage dump that is so close to the slum that it's part of the slum.

I didn't feel this sense of despair, and as I thought about it on the plane (and when I gave myself the space to shed a tear or two), I asked myself why. And I think the reason is that Leah doesn't feel despair. She is a woman who is working to make a difference.

She sings a song, the words of which are "It was not my wish to be born in Korogocho, but God help me to do good while I am here".

She's lived there for all twenty of her young years, but the vision of her life doesn't include living there for the rest of her life. She has a plan .. to go to journalism school and get a job to move her, her mother and her sister out of the slum. I believe she will do it.

That's why I didn't feel hopeless. Though I do feel sadness for the children without adequate health care who are fighting worse germs than any of us ever will. For the friendly boys we met who Leah told us were high on glue ... for the people who don't have the hope they will ever get out of there.

But it's too much to think about all at once. Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness, they say. And Leah is one bright little candle ...

And here's the front side of Leah's T-shirt, and Leah's smiling, beautiful face:

Safari Trips and Tricks

Can you see the leopard?

It's 4:15 am and I am slowly getting over jetlag. Awake again but I am starting to believe I am in Canada and that it's really 4:15 am.

So, while I sit here awake, I thought I would add a few notes about the FUN part of being in Africa. Because I did take some time to play tourist in the midst of all the hard work of discovering some of the more weighty issues.

Tip #1 - Kenya is incredible safari-land. You can see all the "big six" animals here -- lion, rhino, elephant, water buffalo, giraffe and wildebeest (great name, wildebeest, isn't it?).

Tip #2 - bring a camera with a good zoom. That's why you might be having a hard time seeing that there really is a leopard in the tree in the photo above. He's there really -- draped out across the top of the branch like a rug.

Tip #3 - if you want to see lions, you have to get up very early in the morning. The only lion I saw when I was there was bronze and on the front lawn of the hotel. But I saw every other major African animal (except elephants because I was in the north where elephants are not indigenous. They could import them but they will wreck the forest because they'll eat everything in sight. So you have to go south of Nairobi if you want to see elephants too.)

Tip #4 - Go to Masaii Mara. Especially September, because that's the month when the migration of hundreds of thousands of zebras and wildebeests migrate. The big cats follow them in search of lunch. I didn't get to Masaii Mara but will the next time.

Tip #5 - hire a tour company. Don't do it yourself. Hiring a tour company can result in overall savings and you will have a knowledgeable guide to tell you what you're looking at.

Tip #6 - book with Planet Safari Adventures. This company is owned by James and Lucy, who are the friends I met when I was over there. In addition to providing good trips that are on the lower end of the cost scale, they own their own camp in Masaii Mara. And they need the business -- they feed, clothe, house and educate 74 orphans. And they have 4 kids of their own. That's a lot of kids. They are good, good people and will show you an amazing time. You can also ask them to visit the children's home for an African experience that will transform your soul. Their website is www.planetkenyasafaris.com

Tip #7 - If you want to see Mount Kilimanjaro, go to Amboseli National Park, southeast of Nairobi. Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania, but it is a stunning backdrop to Amboseli.

Tip #8 - You can also book trips to neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania from Nairobi. You won't want to go to the other neighbouring countries .. or if you do, it's likely not a good idea. Bordering Kenya to the north are Somalia -- many refugee camps on the border -- the only way to get in is to fly. Ethiopia -- I think Ethiopia is more politically stable than it was a few years ago. But still not a good idea. And Sudan .. and we all know about the problems there right now. Hopefully this will clear up in upcoming years so that it's a safer tourist option.

Tip #9 - you can also go to Mombasa, which is on the sea. Didn't make it there but since it's right on the equator I am sure the seascapes are quite wonderful.

Kenya isn't one of the cheapest African countries (South Africa is cheaper) but what's good about it is that they know how the tourist business works. You will be well provided for -- I stayed in five star hotels, people's homes and also a budget hotel. All were very good experiences, so there are lots of ways to have a vacation that doesn't cost a lot.

Community-based tourism (which is mostly what I do when I'm on vacation) is also a growing trend. That's where you stay in people's homes. There are companies that organize these kinds of trips .. the advantage of this method is that the money goes directly back into communities. And you get to be up close and personal with the people and the lifestyle.

I'd suggest combining a few days of community-based tourism with days in a resort or western hotel. That's what I did ... because all that learning and socializing can be exhausting. It's a good balance between comfort and education.


And I almost forgot .. most people will be very happy if you take your picture. The Masaii, on the other hand, expect to be paid. Not unreasonable ... after all, we should all be entitled to own our own image ...

Journal Reflections -- Child's Hope Home Saturday Oct. 6th

The kindergarten class at the Child's Hope Home

Over the next couple of weeks I am going to be posting some of my reflections that I captured in my journal -- this is one of them

I am in a monk's cell of a hotel room in Nakuru, after a long day at a political rally for the president of Kenya. Much more about elections and the electoral process in one of my next journal entries. For now, I'm thinking about the children at the Njaaga's Hope Child Home, an orphanage for 74 children, funded by my Kenyan friends James (Njaaga) and Lucy. I've been spending the last few days there, and it has been truly memorable.

First thing this morning the children knocked on my door. Constantly from 7 am on with letters to bring back to their sponsors back home, and my two nieces Emily and Elizabeth who sent money over to buy the kids some things that they need. I have been reading through the large stack ... they are sweet, sweet, sweet. What is amazing about these kids is that they are happy, well adjusted and don't carry the kinds of scars and wounds that you often see in children who live in poverty and deprivation.

I am sure they have their sadness too, but their joy is there in much greater measure.

Yesterday I went for a walk to gather water with them. What a job! I still can't understand how they can carry 50(!) pounds of water on their heads! Even the little ones have to go fetch water every day. The home has plumbing but no running water yet, so they have to go to the river and haul it up a steep hill. Even the four year olds do their bit. (I am going to suggest to the people here in Canada who are helping the orphanage financially that our next project should be to raise money to dig the well deeper -- there is a 60 foot well but it's not deep enough to get enough water for all these kids. The plumbing is in, but the well needs to go down another 60 feet. It's attainable ... it will only be $1000 to do it).

I've been spending my time at the home recording the children to do a story for the donors back here. I have captured some great stuff -- first of all, the kids are great singers and they sing all the time. One of the songs they sing the most contains the refrain "Happy, happy, we should be happy". This is the theme I want to use as the central theme.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about that statement. They are living in poverty. Their parents have died. A lot of them will be living a life of poverty that their families have lived. So why SHOULD they be happy?

Not a question they ask themselves. Because they ARE happy, though to Western sensibilities there doesn't seem to be much reason. Washing clothes in the pond (and a dirty pond at that). Having to carry 50 pounds of water .. some of them carry two buckets at a time. No toys. Having to wear the same clothes day after day.

For most of us, this would be a recipe for unhappiness.

But they are happy. So maybe these things don't have much to do with human happiness?

I've been thinking a lot about the difference between "want" and "need". When it comes right down to it, we need only four things -- food, shelter, water and love.

Even health care isn't necessary if all the other three are provided. The need for health care mostly stems from a life out of balance. I realize that this is a broad statement, stemming from my current thinking that a) suffering is inevitable and b) life and death should be allowed to take its own course.

There are many yes-buts to this position, which I even argue with myself over .. for example, it may be "natural" for a certain percentage of woment to die in childbirth. but shouldn't we do everything we can to prevent it? Yes. And I'm sure glad I got a typhoid vaccination before I left Canada.

Even a life in perfect balance won't help you if you're bitten by a malaria-carrying mosquito. A life in balance will help you fend it off better, though.

So okay, my list of needs is now up to five -- food, water, shelter, love and health care.

And what about education? Necessary or not? Back before the world intermingled to the extent it does now, people were well served through traditional education, passed on down through the family and the tribe.

I look at the kids at the Hope Home -- some of them will go on to higher education. Others will stay in the village. So what good is a western-style education to people who never leave the village?

Here, my answer to myself is clear. They wouldn't need "education" in the western sense of the word if they were living in closed situations. But they're not. Even if they have no desire to live anywhere else, the rest of the world will come to them. And they'll be exploited just as they have been in the past. Not just by European interests anymore as in colonial times, but by the economic powers of their own central governments and corporations.

If the people in the villages are not educated, they will not be able to deal with incoming change from a position of empowerment. If these children are educated, they will be able to lead their communities from a position of strength. So I hope some of these children stay in their traditional villages. Because their leadership is needed right here.

No more answers this morning, sad to say. Back later with many more questions.


The traditional village of Kirengiro, near the children's home. Most of the children come from this village and would be raised by their grandmothers if they weren't in the home.

Jambo, Mzungi!

That means "hi, white folks!"

I landed in Toronto about two hours ago and I'm now at my sister Marianne's place in Toronto. The clock says it's 12:45 and my body says it's 9 in the morning. My way of dealing with jet lag is to let whatever time my body says it is be that time. So I have no idea when I am going to sleep and when I am going to wake up.

I am exhaling a huge breath right now, partly from relief that the flight was uneventful and that I'm back home. Also, it's a big sigh of contentment and thankfulness for the absolutely incredible time I had.

(Also a bit of delirium because I feel like I've entered a parallel universe. I am glad to be back in the land of high speed internet and water you can drink straight from the tap).

I will be posting my pictures when I get back to Hamilton tomorrow morning. I am fading fast .. I was going to be philosophical and share all kinds of insights but my confused body is now telling me it is time to go to bed (likely partially because I've had two glasses of wine .. it's also asking me what the hell I'm doing having wine for breakfast!)

So much more to come ... goodnight, good morning or whatever the hell time it is!