فقط افعلها ولا تتردد، قصتي كمخرج أفلام في الأحياء الفقيرة في نيروبي.

I saw reporters did not get things about Mathare right. They misrepresent it. So I decided to become a filmmaker to correct this weakness and follow my passion.
Kenya, Eastern Africa

Story by Elijah Kanye. Translated by Ola Salah
Published on November 4, 2022.

This story is also available in GB cn de es fr it kr tr



حينما انطلقت مسرعاً ضد الحشود متجهاً إلى فندق نيروبي حيثُ مكان الهجوم، لم أكن خائفاً [1]، لقد كنا من أوائل المراسلين المتصدرين للمشهد: أنا وصحفي، ومصور آخر، في البداية لم نستطع التمييز إذا كان ذلك هجوماً إرهابياً أو كونه مجرد عملية سطو، فقط  كل ما رأيناه هو أن العديد من الناس كانوا يفروا هاربين من الفندق، بينما كنا نحن نركض في اتجاه الفندق، لكن عندما رأينا أن البعض قد أصيبوا بطلقات نارية، مستلقين على الأرض، تأكدنا على الفور من أنه هجوماً إرهابياً، الفندق كان كبيراً وكنا نحتاج على الأقل حائط خلفنا ليحمينا من طلقات القناصة، بالنظر إلى اللقطات التي قمت بتصويرها، أدركت أن الوضع كان خطير فعلاً، ولربما لم تكن فكرة سديدة، ونحن لم نمتلك أي وسائل حماية، لقد شكرت الله أننا خرجنا بسلام، اكتفى  البعض بالتصوير من مكانٍ بعيد، أما أنا فاتجهت لهذا المكان وقمت بتصوير القصة الحقيقية.

عندما كنت صغيراً، كانت أمنيتي أن أصبح لاعب كرة قدم محترف، مثل العديد من أصدقائي في ماثار[2]Mathare، كنت أود اللعب في نوادينا المحلية مثل نادي يونايتد ماثار United Mathare أو ريال ماثار Real Mathare، أو ربما ما هو أفضل من ذلك، النوادي الأوروبية؛ نادي مانشستر يونايتد Manchester United أو نادي ريال مدريد Real Madrid، لم يكن هناك سوى ملعب كرة قدم حقيقي واحد في الحي، ديبوت فيلد ماثار Mathare Depot Field. أنا وأصدقائي امتلكنا الملعب؛ لسنوات كنا أفضل اللاعبين، لسببٍ ما، لم نكن نلقي حب الناس لذلك. أحببت ذلك، و وددت أن يكون لي حياة مثل الشعار الموجود على اللوحات الإعلانية لكوكاكولا في المدينة: "تناول كرة القدم. النوم لكرة القدم. اشرب كوكاكولا". ولكن تأتي الرياح بما لا تشتهي السفن وتبدلت الأحوال وكان لابد أن أجد غاية أخرى  في الحياة.

لقد رأيت أن العديد من المراسلين الصحفيين لم  يتمكنوا من التعبير عن ماثارMathare  بشكل صحيح، على سبيل المثال، عند حدوث نزاع أو خلاف في مكان ما داخل الأحياء الفقيرة، يظن الغرباء بالخارج أن الوصول إلى  تلك المناطق ومعرفة الأسباب وراء هذا النزاع أمر في غاية الخطورة، وبذلك يسيئون تصويرها. لذلك وقبل 13 عامًا اتخذت القرار بأن أصبح مخرج أفلام حتى أقوم بتصحيح هذا القصور والضعف، ولأنني من ماثارMathare، سأتمكن من الدخول إلى  هذه المناطق وتصوير ما يجري هناك بالضبط على النحو الصحيح. فمنذ كنت ألعب كرة القدم أثناء فترة صباي، الناس يعرفونني جيداً ويثقون بي، البعض يعرفني باسم"إيليا لاعب كرة القدم" والبعض الآخر باسم "إيليا المخرج".

كوني مخرجاً فهذا شغفي: فأنا شخصياً أشعر بالحماس عند مشاركة قصص من مجتمعي، المجتمع في ماثار Mathare، أود أن أخرج هذه القصص الحقيقية للعلن، عادة ما أقدم قصص إيجابية وملهمة، لأن الكثير من السلبية قد يتسلل إلى عقلك، مع ذلك فأنا أسعى دائماً أن أكون واقعي وصادق مع  جمهوري، لأنهم يعتمدون عليّ  كمراسل صحفي ومخرج أفلام. واحد من أهم أمثلة المواضيع الجادة التي قمت بتغطيتها مؤخراً كان العنف القائم هنا من قبل الشرطة ضد الأحياء الفقيرة أثناء جائحة وباء كورونا Covid-19. في فيلمي الوثائقي، تمكنت من مشاركة هذا الحدث في ماثار Mathare على  قناة الأخبار الهولندية "NOS" وقناة "BBC" الإخبارية، والعديد من القنوات الأخرى.

حلمي أن أتمكن ذات يوم من عمل فيلم وثائقي عن قصة حياتي الحقيقية، أتمنى أن أقوم بتحفيز الشباب في الأحياء الفقيرة على الإيمان بقدرتهم في فعل ما يريدون أياً كان، ليحيوا حياة حرة حقيقية تمثل أنفسهم، كل ما يحتاجون إليه أن يفعلوا ذلك فقط.


الهامش

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-47202313 [1]

[2] ماثاري هو مجموعة من الأحياء الفقيرة في نيروبي ، كينيا. يعيش هناك ما يقرب من 500000 شخص.

[3] تحقق من عنصر NOS الهولندي هنا: https://nos.nl/video/2346202-elijah-filmt-het-politiegeweld-in-zijn-sloppenwijk.html 

وعنصر بي بي سي هنا: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-53025934

[4] إيليا يدعم بالفعل الناس من الأحياء الفقيرة بمبادرته الشبابية Sauti. يتم توجيه الشباب للحصول على خبرة عملية في التصوير والفنون والمهارات الأخرى. ليصبحوا ما يريدون أن يصبحوا. تحقق من Sauti: https://www.facebook.com/watch/TVSauti/ أو https://www.youtube.com/watch؟v=IFlrToASX3c&t=5s&ab_channel=SautiTv.


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Elijah Kanye

Elijah Kanye

My name is Elijah Kanyi, a Filmmaker/Producer and Director based in Nairobi, Kenya. Born and bred in Mathare slum, one of the oldest slums in East Africa. I have witnessed so much injustice over the years, which is what motivated me to become a Filmmaker. The career path I chose has given me an opportunity to tell the stories of my people, ranging from corruption, and inequality in health and education, resource distribution, police brutality & extrajudicial killings. Early in my life, I was determined to protect and project a voice for the people without a voice, and that's wat I do as a filmmaker. 

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