The Pamoja Project: Empowering the Women of Tanzania
Audrey Emerson
The Pamoja Project is not another short documentary film about Africa. This film aims to combat stereotypical and one dimensional narratives of Africa by featuring the lives and work of Margaret, Astridah, and Crispina; three Tanzanian women who's leadership and compassion is changing the lives of those in their community. By focusing on the solutions, rather then the challenges, the film offers a look at real development and social change in Tanzania. In Swahili, the word pamoja means "together," reminding us that change is not one person, but a group of people united in love, working together.
The film was directed by Audrey Emerson '17 and all key crew positions were current or former USC students including Brandon Somerhalder, Richard Carlos, Kasey Henderson, Robert Arjoyan, and Ben Strang. The film was produced by the USC Media Institute for Social Change and Devlo Media. The Pamoja Project is currently being screened at multiple festivals nationally and internationally this fall including the Rhode Island International Film Festival, The HollyShorts Film Festival, The Chicago International Social Change Film Festival, the Montecatini International Short Film Festival, and the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Documentary Film and best New England Filmmaker.
