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