Comments from the Northern participants

took a lot to plan, to organize and assure our selves that we could arrange a workshop in Visual Anthropology at a university with no experience on using visual media in research, in a town with limited technical support on camera and computing, in French and within very limited economical resources. But we knew the place and the people. Our collaborators where prepared. We spent three hardworking weeks in Ngaoundéré, packed with program and positive engagement. Looking back we are very happy with our stay and with the outcome. The 10 students showed us their positive energy, several lecturers were active in the workshop and most important the UoNg has decided to introduce Visual Anthropology in the curriculum at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

3 films were made in 3 weeks on low cost equipment. The topics for the films where prepared before the workshop started. In dialogue with Dr. Mahamdou Djingui and the Department of Sociology, we decided to emphasise on small-scale innovative practise within trade. The selection of students to the workshop was done due to the participants’ motivations and participation in the film seminars spring 2003 under supervision from Dr. Djingui and FK participant Esepen Marius Foss. Secondly, the selection was based on coherence between their plans for the master thesis and the empiric topic of the workshop. Dr. Djingui and the Department of Sociology had prepared the projects with the students before our arrival. Three wonderful cases were explored:

“Melanie-une debuilliard” by Felicity Mina Vella, Josiane Nsiemang, Jessica Ngo Minyem

“Beignets DEA” by Osmanou Adama, Dahirou, Alain Tchoumtchoua Appolinaire

“Ismaila” by Hadijatou Abdoulaye, Mohamadou Sani, Sylvestre Fideissou, Adamou Amadou.

The northern partner was represented by Dr. Trond Waage from VCS, and the coordinator Bente Sundsvold, who has also lectured at VCS. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs financed Trond’s participation, and this support was most crucial for the whole realisation of the workshop. Trond has done his PhD on youths in Ngaoundéré, and his knowledge of the town, visual anthropology and his long and good relation with Dr. Djingui, were other crucial aspects for the success. However, the workshop was pure fertile soil for VCS and the northern partner has gained unique new experience for managing new ways of training in anthropological filmmaking. The workshop has great value for future collaboration with other partners in the South, but also for expanding the activities at VCS to summer school courses, smaller film workshops for different target groups and different authorities. Working in the South, we have achieved new knowledge that could become fruitful for further activities in the North.

We feel that we were able to realize our intentions with the workshop, to give insight in the methodological and theoretical benefits by working with film within qualitative social research. We were not able to do everything as planned. The number of theoretical lectures became less than planned, but most of our theoretical ambitions were pointed out through the discussions and comments on the students’ exercises. We introduced a certain number of methodological and filmic strategies. As we see it, this repertoire of tools proved its value. Through the exercises could we continuously verify what the students had apprehended and evaluate what were needed next. The timeframe was to narrow, we had too little time to technical exercises, fieldwork and editing. The students, starting out with no experience of video technology, had too little time to practice how to use the camera manually, to measure the light and how to focus. And they got only a minimum of knowledge on how to use the editing equipment, how to build a narrative by image and sound. But on the other hand, it is a question how much longer the workshop could have lasted with such a high insensitivity as we did.

Taken into consideration all the struggles the planning of the workshop faced, the realisation was pure magic, a memory for a life time.

Thanks to everybody for their contributions.

Tromsø April 1st, 2004