I Am Because We Are
to premiere at TriBeCa Film Fest!
J. Stephen Brantley 4/22/2008
11:30 AM
“To cut down a tree is to cut off your own limb.”
That's the sort of statement that sticks with me. I read it on the train this morning and I've been thinking of it all day. Its context was that of climate change, but it was about so much more than melting ice. It was about changing a climate of indifference, altering our very consciousness, and saving the world. The point of a statement like that is to drive home the simple truth that we are all connected.
This is a fundamental message in the dynamic and deeply moving new documentary from Raising Malawi co-founder Madonna called I Am Because We Are. Along with director Nathan Rissman and Raising Malawi Executive Director Philippe van den Bossche, writer/producer Madonna has assembled a roster of front-line fighters in a movie that is nothing less than a call to arms against indifference. Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Desmond Tutu, and former president Bill Clinton are among those weighing in on the issues of social responsibility, healthcare, hunger, and beating back the double scourge of AIDS and endemic poverty in one of the world's poorest nations.
So let's talk about that title. When I first mentioned it to a friend, his reply was “You are what because we are…whom, exactly?” Fair enough. ‘I am because we are' comes from a Zulu phrase that speaks to the interconnectedness of family, friends, and indeed all of humanity. I exist because you exist. I am defined by you, and you by me. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in his gentle way, puts it like this. “What hurts one affects the others as well.” It is at once simpler and more profound than butterfly effects and pond ripples. It's not about being ‘similar.' We are the same.
With that in mind, I defy anyone to remain unmoved by the riveting images in the trailer for this film.
Yeah, it's rough stuff. We are talking about a nation devastated by poverty and disease. We're talking more than a million orphans here. We're dealing with genital mutilation, sexual cleansing, and witchcraft. At first glance, the problem seems insurmountable. And we can't look away because, yes, it is our problem.
But it's a great problem to have because we've got the power to solve it, and in doing so, we save ourselves as well. I guess most of us make a constant choice between our own best interests and saving the world. What I am learning from Raising Malawi, and what I see in I Am Because We Are, is that there is no difference. There is no distinction, no ‘us and them' at all. Check out the gorgeous photos at www.iambecauseweare.com. Look into the children's eyes. Now consider these pictures not as mere documentary, but as mirrors. There's no time to feel sorry. Save yourself.
Of course, with a million orphans we need all hands in. Making miracles is hard work. But no one who views I Am Because We Are would say it isn't worth it. Watching these kids pick up the tools of transformation, take control of their lives, rise up to become the future of what is actually a stunningly beautiful country…it's truly inspiring. Suddenly I find that I'm the one who's become empowered.
I Am Because We Are premieres in New York this Thursday April 24 at 6pm, and continues through May 3. I'll be there, and I urge you to make plans to see it. You can get show times and locations, buy advance tix, view trailers and sign up for email updates at http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/filmguide/I_Am_Because_We_Are.html
