Voices of the Sacred

We set out on a mission when we left our base of operation in Toronto: a mission to share the stories, lessons, and teachings that were to be exchanged amongst elders, medicine men, and spiritual leaders representing the indigenous communities throughout the world at the 2009 International Indigenous Leadership Gathering.

We came here recognizing that a gathering of this magnitude, at this critical time in humanity, would play a significant role in the development of our, as well as all participants' understandings of the present, and what will be needed for the future, to honor and preserve the natural world and humanity's place within it. With our bags packed, we set out, blessed by the opportunity to witness and take part in this forum of utmost import.

Along the way we underwent a road of trials. When we finally arrived at the St'at'imc territory, we learned that our plans to transport three Maasai representatives from IL Ngwesi to the gathering had been spoiled by emigration protocol. Yet we remained undeterred, directing our focus on our purpose, our mission.

It wasn't long before we began to fully grasp the powers that lie upon the mountaintops of the St'at'imc territory: the all-pervasive aura of a land that makes all happenings within sacred. We began to understand a greater purpose beyond our own.

With no hesitation we set up our tents at the gathering site, at the base of a sacred mountain that for the St'at'imc peoples has transformed the ordinary into leaders; the spiritual into visionaries. For generations people have been drawn to this site in search of power and healing, and so the saga continues.

From all over the world people came: from the cities, from the mountains, the deserts, and rainforests people answered a call within themselves, beckoning them to this place at this time. The Maori dreamed of this mountain years ago. The elders prophesied a meeting of the four nations of the world centuries prior, and here their words were fulfilled.

As we immersed ourselves in the experience so too did the hundreds of others who arrived to let their hearts be opened to the truth, love, and compassion that the people had to offer. Despite the ethnic, cultural, and visible diversity between the participants, the peoples shared concerns for their environment and for their children allowed for a strong connection to be made amongst one another. People shared in ways as never before, each carrying a story, a lesson, and a message, all in the name hope.

With the help and support of Alaina Tom & Chief Darrel Bob, two of the chief organizers of this gathering, through sharing our story and our purpose to amplify the collective indigenous worldview, we obtained permission to document and film the procession of events.

Throughout the course of the eight days, we heard from a collection of voices on topics covering the past, present, and future: the ailments of the Earth and the ongoing suffering taking place because of humanity today, the abuse of our land our family and ourselves. We heard from a variety of elders carrying the prophecies of their nations, and the symbols that represent a change to the world of disorder. We learned about the strength of woman, and the need for men to begin recognizing her within himelf. We learned that the time is urgent, and that humanity is on the brink of something new. Finally, we learned about the ancient teachings, many of which have been forgotten: the means through which the indigenous peoples have preserved and persevered, through which we may all persevere as one light, representing all colors.

We had the priviledge of sitting down with representatives from the St'at'imc, Maori, Maya, Cherokee, Cree, Lakota, and Quechua peoples, amongst others, and presenting them with the opportunity to convey their stories, message, and vision to the world at large. This was a great success. We are both humbled and honored to have had the opportunity to contribute to the gathering in any way we knew how.

Now that the gathering is complete, our lenses are shifted towards the vast abundance of St'at'imc territory: the snow-covered rocky mountain ridges, the pine tree valleys, the freshwater springs, and the pollution and deforestation taking place all the while. We hope to document this land and the story of the people who call it their home.

Onward and Upward,

Apo Calypso Productions

Canadian Premier of "IL Ngwesi: People of Wildlife"

Dear Supporters,

We would like to invite you to come out to the Canadian Premier of Apo Calypso Productions first film " IL Ngwesi: People of Wildlife"

The screening will be held at:
Innis Town Hall on Thursday April, 23rd, 2009 at 7:30pm
(Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, ON- University of Toronto Campus)

Following the film there will be a Question and Answer period with the Three Producers/Directors of the film as well as a brief on our upcoming Film Projects.

This will be a donate what you can event.
Pre-released copies of "IL Ngwesi: People of Wildlife" will be available for a donation of $20 Dollars.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our supporters for their continued support and look forward to seeing you all there!

In addition, the Apo Calypso Productions Team is Heading to Washington DC on Friday, April 17th, 2009 for the World Premier of "IL Ngwesi: People of Wildlife"


For more information write to us at apocalypso@apocalypsoproductions.org or call us at 1-416-550-2287

Onward and Upward

Apo Calypso Productions

Coming Full Circle

A year ago, the Apo Calypso journey began. For our pilot expedition we ventured to Kenya's Rift Valley, humanity’s shared ancestral homeland and home today of the IL Ngwesi Maasai--People of Wildlife. The goal of this journey was to create an inspirational film showcasing the magical essence of the IL Ngwesi community: their culture, their worldview, and the intimate relationship they maintain with their surroundings. It is with great pride and even greater satisfaction that we report the successful completion of this project. Finally, after ten months of intensive learning and strenuous toil, we have entered our first motion picture, IL Ngwesi: People of Wildlife, into a number of film festivals worldwide, and have sent out advanced screening copies to our ever-growing network of friends and supporters.

The production of IL Ngwesi: People of Wildlife was an intensive exercise in collaboration. We were blessed with the opportunity to immerse ourselves in IL Ngwesi and respectfully shoot an artistic reflection on their way of life. This was possible because the relationship we established with the community was based on a mutual acknowledgement of the importance of the preservation of environment and culture. This understanding led us to undertake further development initiatives within the community in addition to our film. We facilitated the spread of cultural awareness by partnering with the Enatum Youth Group--a band of talented Maasai vocalists--to produce a collection of state-of-the-art recordings of their traditional chants. This has never been done before. We also shot a short video for the Safi Project, a waste management initiative headed by a member of the IL Ngwesi community, to be used as an educational resource on trash collection and environmental protection.

A river leads to the sea as one journey leads to the next. Our effort to spread awareness about our undertaking has connected us with many walking a similar path toward similar ends. Through our persistence in broadcasting our message over the global channels of information exchange, we attracted the interest of Alaina Tom, a member of the St'at'imc (Stlat-lee-umh) Nation in British Columbia. She reached out to us with her story. Her message was simple, clear, and vital; an indigenous mother's call to defend the land against the mind-state of consumption and destruction that has overthrown her people's traditional ways of living and threatened the prospect of life for future generations. By exchanging stories and our experiences in IL Ngwesi, trust grew between us and our connection deepened. Then Alaina extended to us an invitation on behalf of her nation to volunteer, participate, and document the 2009 International Indigenous Leadership Gathering, which will be hosted by the St'at'imc this spring on their ancestral lands. This gathering, the first of its kind recognized outside the context of the United Nations, has been in the works since 2002 It will bring together indigenous leaders from all over the world to take part in a week-long exchange of Sacred Ceremonies and Sacred Knowledge. In co-ordination with the organizers of this forum of utmost import, we have successfully arranged for the attendance three Maasai representatives from Il Ngwesi, who have been invited to speak about the protection of the environment to an audience of teachers, healers, spiritual authorities, and youth. Our presence at this symposium, with the Maasai, will mark the beginning of a longer stay in St’at’imc territory, throughout which we will be collaborating with Alaina on a film, that will tell her extraordinary story of struggle and perseverance.

As we prepare to undertake this expedition, we look for your continued support. We will be distributing pre-released DVD versions of "IL Ngwesi" for a minimum donation of $20. To recieve your copy, or to help support our organization, you may follow the link below. We will also be sending copies of our forthcoming film proposals on request.

E-mail us at: apocalypso@apocalypsoproductions.org

The Concord Meets the Eagle - March 1st 2009

Onward.

When the images touched the screen, and the sound was heard, King Street manifested a new dimension. Life-changing questions were posed, and people were inspired by the prominent display of natures resiliency and the indigenous people's ingenuity.

The Psychedelic Safari was a success, in terms both of fundraising and generating awareness and support for Apo Calypso Productions and the indigenous peoples we seek to portray. We hope to recreate a similar event, on a larger scale, sometime in the future when ample time makes itself available to us.

In the meantime, we are in the midst of finalizing the visual component of the journey that will take viewers through nature and its offerings, to a culture that celebrates these offerings everyday. This journey will emphasize, through our raw and organic approach, the blessings of nature with which we have been bestowed, and how miraculously, the Masai of Il Ngwesi have maintained their deep connection to the wildlife and environment. Viewers will be transported into the natural realm whose call has been desperately beckoning us back outside.

As we continue to sculpt the structure of this journey, our countless hours of investment increase in reward, and our faith remains firm. We are now in the final stages of having a Final Cut, and are now focusing and directing our attention towards the sound aspect of editing. This endeavor will bring us into a more specialized sound environment, where the aural aspect of the journey will awaken itself.

And the bridge building never ceases as fate merges the paths of wandering souls. Perhaps it was the ordainment of a higher force that brought Alaina Tom, a member of the St'at'imc nation, to deliver her story through the internet to a complete stranger. Regardless, of all people in the world, it was Javid who recieved this message, which detailed the story of a young woman's struggle to preserve her peoples culture, her peoples land, and the children of her peoples future. Through online communication, we were able to establish a connection based upon our shared understandings, and form a strong enough relationship for Alaina to entrust us as her hosts during her stay in Toronto last weekend, where she would speak against the encrouchment of Canadian Government upon her people as part of the No One is Illegal campaign.

In her peoples attempts to preserve their culture, the St'at'imc nation of so-called British Columbia have called upon help from indigenous cultures from all around the world. The culmination of eight years of planning and development has produced what will be the largest gathering of Indigenous peoples outside of the United Nations ever recorded: the forthcoming International Indigenous Leadership Gathering. The Gathering will revolve around the topic of 'protecting the sacred' and will bring the spokespeople of the land, the indigenous people of the world together for the first time. Upon hearing about this news, we were dumbfounded by the enormity and global import of such a gathering, and without hesitation arranged for the bringing of Masai representation to the event. We, likewise have been invited, and are anxious to hear and share stories, and develop relationships with this incredibly diverse group of protectors.

Until that time, we will be assembling our marketing package, a powerpoint presentation detailing our operation for interested supporters and investors. We will be taking this presentation on the road for a two-week funding mission while simultaneously arranging a number of launch events where we will showcase our film towards larger support networks.

Upward.

Apo Calypso Productions

The Crossing of the Return Threshold September 3 - November 27

The journey continues.


Apo Calypso is back in Toronto--the Huron word for 'meeting place'.

As we find our ground and reach out to our contacts, we find that we have gone from full immersion in the life of the Maasai to full immersion in the process of post-production. Our operation is now being run out of the live-in editing studio we have set up at the Toy Factory Lofts in Liberty Village. Here we are hard at work chiseling down our behemoth 77 hour block of footage into a finely sculpted inside-out artistic perspective of everyday life for the people of wildlife, the people of Il Ngwesi.

We have spent an exhausting number of hours behind computer screens since returning from Africa. The Apo crew has had to quickly learn the in-and-outs of the video editing program Final Cut Pro, an interface with which we are now all fully familiarized. Simultaneously, we have been tirelessly reviewing and discussing our footage as we develop the story line most true to the inside-out perspective of Maasai life. We have now constructed a rock solid outline for the visual component of the cinematic journey that will be Il Ngwesi.

Work on the audio component of the film is coming along as well. Apo Calypso is proud to announce its collaboration with Brady Bothwell. Brady is an experienced audio technician currently studying sound design at Fanshawe College. Along with his skill, talent, and knowledge, Brady will also be able to provide us with access to Fanshawe College’s state of the art surround sound mixing studio.

Apo Calypso is also proud to announce that we will be putting on a fundraiser event at Loki Lounge in Toronto! The event, which we are calling the Psychedelic Safari, will feature an artistically enhanced visual celebration of Apo Calypso’s first journey into the cradle of mankind. Brady will be the DJ at the event and will be spinning a set of tribal/house/electro/dub grooves mixed with maasai chants.

We invite you to join us on December 4th at 10:30PM, at Loki Lounge, 577 King Street West. As Always, Onward and Upward

now available online at: http://www.apocalypsoproductions.org/

So Long, But Not Goodbye August 15 - September 2

It is 3 A.M. in the morning on the 17^th of August at the Makurian boma of Il Ngwesi. A crowd of men, women, and children assemble around the center of their home, forming a circle mimicking the shape of the surrounding fence formed from withered acacia branches. A fire is blazing bright, and the sparks rising from the ashes hover overhead, dwindling in luminosity as they blend into the starry skies. An eerie silence sweeps through the crowd as a group of young boys are led from the dark, desert void, towards the crackling embers where their fate awaits. Cups of Maritina, the honey and aloe brew of the Maasai, flow steadily among the elders. The sweet nectar trickles down their throats, blending in their stomachs with fresh meat from a slaughtered bull. The festivities had carried on throughout the day prior, but now lay the very climax of the celebration: the climax of youth, the turning point of any bildungsroman, and a promotion in the community that not only carries a great responsibility, but a test of strength and great pain as well. Tomorrow, these boys will be men, and their mother’s arms will no longer provide protection for them. Tomorrow, it will be their turn to provide protection for their mothers.

Our cameras were rolling, but something so sacred, so fundamental to the beliefs of these people, seemed to be demanding our respect. As if a secret was being whispered into our ears, Apo Calypso kept silent, simply processing the information within the sequence of events taking place. Something in the air that evening reminded us that some secrets are meant to be kept silent.

Javid had spent the previous day observing, but also taking part in the celebration. He filmed, and helped slaughter the bull, he drank Maritina with the elders, and he drank, with the Moran’s, the blood of the cattle. No doubt over the course of his time there, he had not only earned these peoples respect, but also demonstrated that he and they were not so different. They welcomed him, Cam, and Max, with open arms into their home. They shared with us their culture, knowledge, and beliefs. They shared with us their smiles, their laughs, and even at times their frowns. And we shared with them, our willingness to change. To put the camera down, when the incisions had begun was the last obligation to them that we could provide.

And so, a long night of celebration brought a long morning of sleep and regeneration. Javid arose reenergized, and prepared for one last visit to a good friend, Richard Leggae. At Richard’s boma, Javid recounted his experiences over the last two months, and gathered an intimate look at the Maasai family, for one last time.

On the 19^th, Javid returned to Nanyuki, where he obtained the edited copy of the Enatum Youth Group’s recordings, which he had worked so hard to arrange, as well as an edited short video for the community to use as a marketing tool for the Il Ngwesi Lodge. He returned to Il Ngwesi for a brief visit on the following day, in order to provide the offering to the community, who needless to say were more than grateful for the gift and the opportunity to share their songs with the world.

Time was wearing thin, and up to date we had only obtained a long distance shot of a lion. We needed more. The ultimate predator, the king of his domain, is the ultimate challenge for a warrior: a challenge not only with the beast, but with any lingering fears in the hearts and minds of the newly graduated warriors. Only a Moran would seek out such a ferocious beast with nothing but a spear and an arungu to protect him. The five-century old tradition is a test of a warrior’s ability, one that has been revoked by the Kenyan government under poaching regulations.

Fortunately, as tables once again turned our way, a chance meeting in Nanyuki on the 21^st brought us the acquaintance of Gabrielle, a Project Biologist, for the Living with Lions Large Carnivore Conservation of Laikipia. Her interest in our project extended her will to help us in obtaining the footage we needed, via the extensive archive of lion footage that they have already obtained. By the end of the day, the warm hands of hope and reassurance guided us towards the next objective: Javid’s last visit to Il Ngwesi before his departure. The plan: to ride to three different locations in Il Ngwesi on dirt bike, where three interviews with three of the oldest members of the community had been prearranged.

The purpose of these interviews was to gather a story: the story of Il Ngwesi. We hoped to cover where the name Il Ngwesi originated, where the people came from, and how the community came to be. While all three interviews were successful, there was one in particular that stood out. A 93 year old Moisay, or elder, from Nadungoro, gave us a lengthy hour-and-a-half compassionate history lesson about his people. The story he told was one of suffering and sadness, but nonetheless one of pride for the perserverence of his people through abuse and persecution. Despite his anguish, the man understood the importance of what we were doing, and appreciated our want to listen to his experience, and the story of his people, whose strength we are forced to envy. For his willingness in sharing his story, we are very grateful.

As Javid returned to Nanyuki to finalize his outstanding debts, and distribute some of the equipment that we will no longer need: a steady-cam and tripod for B Ware Production, the bittersweet awareness of his departure from that world into another was over consumed by his anticipation to return to Toronto. With a total of 73 hours of footage obtained, we have but only splattered the paint onto our pallet, with which we must produce a work of beauty that we pray will do the reality justice. There is still much work to be done, paint brushes to buy, a concept to create, and we will continue to move forward in the upcoming months. Today, we will all reconvene together for the first time since our return, and we will see just what kind of picture we can paint.

We would like to extend our gratitude to all of those who provided us with help and strength throughout our journey. Though no words can express how much your support has meant to us: without you, none of this would have been possible.

July 29 - August 15

It was another sweltering week in the Rift Valley last Saturday. The soil remained parched, and magnifying glass skies projected the Sun’s rays into the squinting eyes of the Maasai. It was drought season north of Mount Kenya, and Il Moran had already left his home in search of pasture for his community’s herd.

Meanwhile, Javid had arranged a meeting with five Moran warriors from Chumvi. He had been given permission to relocate this group to Nanyuki for the day and bring them to the home base of BWare Productions. A portion of the Enatum Youth Group, a community development initiative of Il Ngwesi, here had their first encounter with a professional recording studio, an environment far removed from the commonplace natural stage of the Rift Valley, where they are most used to performing. Yet, despite the foreign surroundings, these five performers were in no time able to paint their world view within the four sound-proofed walls containing the ancient songs passed down through the generations. All told, a total of two hours of solid, professionally recorded Maasai chanting and guitar playing was gathered throughout the course of the day. This material, in agreement with the community of Il Ngwesi, will provide not only for our film’s soundtrack, but also for a promotional CD that will be used to attract tourists to the Il Ngwesi lodge, and funding that will subsequently aid in the preservation of their land and community. The day was a major success.

Back in Il Ngwesi, the Moran’s wanderings for pasture had brought them to Nadungoro Forest some weeks before, an area of thick vegetation and a dense canopy of trees providing natural shelter from the heat. The Moran’s, who are responsible for nourishing and protecting the cattle, who in turn provide sustenance for the community, had been spending the majority of the drought season, months at a time, on foot. They had been nomadically searching for grass to graze, surviving on a meager diet of milk and blood. The Morans are true examples of the personal sacrifice made for the community; for in their willingness to suffer through circumcision, and their willingness to walk dozens of kilometers daily, they put their tribe as a whole above themselves.

Javid arrived in the forest by foot on the 4^th of August with an entourage of locals and a donkey carrying supplies to last the rest of the week. In his presence were Francis Leggae, a Moran from Il Ngwesi, and Juma, a Nanyuki local. Each has been welcomed aboard the Apo Calypso team, and has begun a short-term apprenticeship in camerawork and cinematography, whereby we hope to inspire and encourage the use of film as a means of educating.

Together, the three spent a total of five days following the warriors on their journey to feed their herds. Successfully, Javid and his crew managed to capture the story, encapsulated in the beads of sweat on the Moran’s bodies, of a group of men who have been fed by their community, and now are working hard to return the favor. Javid, Juma, and Francis walked alongside these warriors, covering many kilometers a day, and returned on Friday to Nanyuki with very promising footage of the Moran’s struggle and the provider, Mount Kenya.

On the 9^th of August, Yost and Patricia of BWare Productions, who were inspired by the material recorded a week earlier, generously volunteered their services to Apo Calypso Productions. The Dutch couple offered to join Javid on his visit to Chumvi, Il Ngwesi that day, this time with a new, portable in-field sound recording set-up. And it couldn’t have been a better time: a celebration awaited them on their arrival for the circumcision ceremony that was to take place the next day. The whole Enatum Youth Group choir provided us with yet another two hours of in-the-field audio and visual recording. This time it was a much larger group of both male and female vocalists in their natural surroundings who blessed us with sounds that at times can overwhelm the ear. Both Apo Calypso and BWare Productions are thoroughly were impressed by this performance.

The next morning, Javid had made all preparations to ensure that he would obtain the necessary footage of the circumcision ceremony. Although he was informed that he would not be permitted to film the actual ceremony, he was prepared to document the entering of the boma as children, and the exiting as men. However, the one thing he could not have prepared for was the unsuspected thundercloud guest that brought the first rains and dispersed the crowds in frenzy for shelter. It was a disappointing surprise for the camera, however all is not lost. Javid still managed to obtain a collection of footage demonstrating the importance of the ceremony, and better yet has since managed to seek out another ceremony, taking place tomorrow, August 16th. This time, weather permitting, Javid will find much more ease in filming the ceremony in the home of a good friend, who has assured him that there will be no issue. Let us hope for the best as he heads back out into the field tomorrow.

Apo Calypso in the past week has also been volunteering their cinematic services to Safi Project, the only waste management company in the Laikipia district of Kenya. We shot two hours of footage for the project, a promotional donation on our behalf to be posted on their website for the encouragement of safe, environmental disposal of waste in Kenya. For more information on Safi Project, visit: http://www.safiproject.org/.

As we continue our travels, we invite Nairobi and Nanyuki locals, as well as tourists to join us on a trip to the bush, a place where a surprising number of Kenyans have never visited before. As part of our giving back initiative, we are doing our best to share with others in the mystifying experience of the African wilderness. This endeavor will continue as we cross out the remaining shots on our list:

- An interview with the community leaders on “how they came to be called “people of wildlife” - Lion tracking with the head of Lewa Downs Conservancy tours - The importance of beekeeping and the collection of wild honey in LeParua