Project for Peace: Inside A Dam Relief

July 29, 2012

Max Bilbow A Dam Relief, Uganda, videos Leave a comment

Since we’ve been working here in Uganda, I’ve had many requests to make a video that sums up what A Dam Relief is all about…Well it’s very hard to explain or review one’s own work.

However a young American couple (Even and Cal), working on a video campaign – I think for college – called Project for Peace, came to interview Tom (from Smart FM) am myself about our recent comedy night and A Dam Relief,

Below is the video they made and, if I am totally honest, I do not believe that we could’ve done it better.

These two young budding film-makers have made many balanced videos in East Africa, on a shoe-string budjet.

Check out more of their videos on their YouTube Channel, LVP4P.

The Davis Projects for Peace is a grant program which supports young people to create and implement peace building initiatives. The Lake Victoria Projects for Peace study is an in depth look at how foreign aid relates to peace and violence in the Lake Victoria region. Caroline Crawford and Evan Chartier will spend 2.5 months traveling around Kenya and Uganda speaking with people about how aid and peace relate to each other. Along the way, Cal and Evan will post short video clips of the interviews, commentaries, and discussions they have regarding foreign aid and peace.

Aurasma Lite Demonstration (My Aura)

July 27, 2012

Max Bilbow A Dam Relief, Science and Technology, Uganda, videos Leave a comment

Seriously – technology is getting fun! Can’t wait to play with this a bit more when I get home and even use it to watch my clients’ music videos all over town!

You can download the Aurasma Lite app for most smartphones, I believe.

Check out the TED talk about it here:

“Best online campaign i have seen…”

July 22, 2012

Max Bilbow A Dam Relief, Letters to the Editor, Uganda Leave a comment

Thanks Acema Benard (Works at AccessKla, Kampala) for this feedback:

Congratulations on that by the way. One of the best online campaigns i have seen in a while and as a “tech guy” i easily ignore alot of them but yours, Nice and Unique.

Oh and also it [A Dam Relief] is better than and more effective than that One Million Dollar campaign the Government [spent] on CNN’s Inside Africa Programme.

You may not have seen or even heard of it, it was [quite] ineffective; Just incase you need something to compare yours

A Dam Shame 2

July 20, 2012

Max Bilbow A Dam Relief, A Dam Shame, A Dam Shame 2 A Dam Relief, A Dam Shame, Kayaking, Movies Leave a comment

We are now filming for A Dam Shame 2

Follow updates on Facebook

A Dam Shame (2)

A Dam Relief

If you are in Uganda, with a kayak and a camera, we need your help over the next 4 days!

“Regarding the DisLike Button…”

July 12, 2012

Max Bilbow Letters to the Editor, videos Reader Responses Leave a comment

Tony Bilbow · Freelance writer and broadcaster at BBC Television Centre

First – I’m flattered that you want my opinion, Max.

Regarding the “Dislike button”- I agree with you because if it stifles discussion, argument and civilised dissent, it’s demonstrably a Bad Thing. Fresh air is what’s required (see third para below).

Re the juice thing and giving offence. I think Corinne overreacted a little to something that is, after all, a pretty feeble joke, but then it’s easy for me to say because none of my family were murdered by the Nazis.

Censorship. The Lady Chatterley’s Lover obscenity trial in 1960 was a mixture of absurd posturing by the prosecution and the evidence of the good guys – George Melly, Richard Hoggart, John Mortimer, et al. When the verdict was in and DH Lawrence’s novel was finally vindicated I read that Lawrence’s step-daughter said, “I feel as if a window had been opened and blown fresh air through England”. That’s how I feel about censorship in general.

Artists – writers, painters, sculptors, musicians – have a duty to offend and when people are offended they shouldn’t expect an apology, but they can disagree, argue, discuss and reason. Many years ago I wrote a play, an adaptation of a Kingsley Amis novel. My agent hawked it around and one impresario said it was quite possibly the nastiest play he’d ever read. I rang Kingsley to tell him. He gave a kind of whooping laugh and said, “Well you must have done SOMETHING right!”

I’m with Oscar Wilde who said (I’m paraphrasing here) there’s no such thing as obscenity in art – art is good or it’s bad; and if it’s bad then it’s not art. Re juice again – there was a much funnier joke about Hitler which ended with him saying, “If I had my time over again I would do exactly the same – but this time no Mr Nice Guy!” Now that IS funny; and I’m sure some people were offended.

I’m rambling, I’m afraid, because I’m trying to recall the message that got lost; but I think the above is the gist of it.

Thanks, dad! Click ‘Dislike’ to see what Tony was responding to.

See Tony Bilbow interviewing Ringo Starr in the late 1960′s

The Race for Power and Global Stability

July 8, 2012

Max Bilbow politics, Rants America, Democract, democracy, election, Obama, politics, Republican, Romney, USA, VOTING Leave a comment

If you are not a registered American voter you cannot vote for the US president, even though we know this decision will have implications for the whole world for decades to come.

But for the first time in human history, the whole world is directly or indirectly able to influence American politics.

When George Bush was reelected in 2004, the world stood by and watched helplessly; bemused and betrayed by the American populous. “FOUR MORE YEARS!” read one British headline, accompanied by images of war.

In 2008, America elected its first black president; an intellectual democrat that, longed for by the rest of the world but still we had no influence. Our world changed but not because Americans heard our plea.

Regardless of your views on socialised healthcare, it would not not exist in America if the British populous had not shouted out in defence of the NHS following a very public attack by Obama’s critics.

They claimed that, among other ridiculous things, the NHS was a breeding ground for terrorists.

Note how many dislikes this video has on YouTube.

My point is simply this: In 2009, British people influenced American policy by standing up for the social healthcare system that had been attacked. And America listened.

On January 18th 2012, Wikipedia (along with many other sites) instigated an online “blackout” in protest against US policy. Again, it was not just Americans who influenced that debate; and the people won that particular battle. SOPA and PIPA lost support and did not pass through congress.

Whatever your opinion on the subject of war, politics and America; I will finish with this:

At the beginning of World War 1, historians decided that “The Great War” – not the first to hold that title – needed no be named. In fact, at the time, World War 1 had many names.

Historians at the time decided to call it World War 1 for one simple reason:

Our descendants must understand that the history of the human race is the story of war.

Whoever US voters elect in 2012 will be involved in war. They will lead what is, for at least one more decade, the most powerful country on the planet.

But which type of war are you prepared to accept? And at what cost?

America – Please listen to all of us before casting that vote. We share a mutual destiny.