Native Multimedia

This community media initiative is a response to the need for information sharing within London's community, which includes people from all parts of the world. In the context of such cultural diversity, the organisation hopes to use a camera to capture issues important to ethnic groups, and to expose UK residents to their perspectives and realities.

Health care and HIV issues are one focus of Native Multimedia's work. To cite an example, the organisation produced a video of a June 2004 HIV awareness day in Edmonton, London that was organised by Dr. Igboaka and his team from Helping Hands Enterprises. On that day, the London-based Innovative Vision Organisation (IVO) presented speeches delivered by their director Daisy Managha, who gave the floor to 2 women who told stories of their life with HIV and how, with the help of IVO, they are now able to come forward openly to share their experience. IVO promotes healthy living and HIV control strategies within ethnic minority groups; click here to read more. Native Multimedia used a mini digital video (DV) camera to capture this event, editing and then distributing the video.

Organisers are in the process of developing online tools that will foster the communication-based work of fellow producers and artists, wherever they may be.

Community Media Development, Health, HIV/AIDS.

Created by a South-African-born physician and her Nigerian husband, the group is in its formative stages and is seeking formal registration as a non-profit organisation focused on community video production. They hope to "find people who can show us how to teach the people in our community how they can make videos that speak a thousand words."

One of Native Multimedia's founders explains, "We are looking forward to a day when video will become popular as a means of communication, the world will be better informed and the problems that hold my people back in Nigerian villages and cities, in the Shabenes of South Africa and in the alleyways of the Bronx, the red lights of Amsterdam and even in the Ivory towers of England will slowly pass away. Hopefully, the justifiable fear that people have of 10% of my fellow Nigerians will be replaced by the hope they see in a New Nigeria where the 90% ordinary hard working people are seen as contributors to the new globalization, a new village which is better informed."

Editor's note: As of April 2005, Native Multimedia, Ltd. is inactive; organisers were unable to continue funding the company, which was in its formative stages. The IVO videos referenced above are not available for sale; please contact the organisation directly - click here to access the IVO website - for further information about events and videos.