Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Black Out: Studying by Lamplight in Guinea

This morning, while perusing my Google reader for articles of interest (i.e. Mali, Guinea, Virginia, international education), I stumbled upon this article on a documentary about kids studying by streetlight in Guinea.  The documentary, Black Out, follows students during exam time in Conakry, Guinea's capital.  The film has been featured at film festivals around the world and scooped up a number of awards.

What struck me in the trailer is how much these kids study and for what - there is no guarantee they will have a job, or go to college, following graduation.  I think of Abdoulaye, and all the studying he did by lamplight or with inconsistent electricity and of course of Zana, Mali where my host siblings similarly studied by kerosene lamp.

It's too bad there aren't any Guineans on the team who produced the film and I can't tell from the director and producers' blurbs how much experience they have in Guinea/West Africa/Africa.   Nonetheless, looks like an interesting piece, hopefully it will come to E street cinema.

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