The Vrinda project Documentary

On the basis of the video resources linked to this handbook we are preparing a ten episodes documentary.

The main difference of this version from the previous videos is that here we are making an extensive usage of the "backstage" scenes, i.e. the images of the team carrying on its job and the discussions among the team members that illustrate their different approaches. We are editing this documentary it in a docudrama style; however we are also using a "reality" approach, since the acting team is seen in the actuality of the work in progress of the Vrinda Project.

The "front-stage scenes" narrate development cooperation stories. The back-stage scenes reveal the "interpretations" and the work done for integrating the different viewpoints. The constant shifting from the analysis of the specific projects to the overall development cooperation issues allows a pluralistic and dialogic approach and hence enable us to communicate with a cross-cultural audience.
In its effort to understand the "state of art" with MDGs activities the team travels to the project fields in different continents, collect many different stories, which finally lead the question "what is "the human dimension of social work"? And "can we develop and deepen that humanness amongst the cooperating partners?"
By revealing to each other their thinking, the project team members expose in a non-pedantic manner the challenging issues of global politics and reveal intimate aspects of the beliefs of the different civilizations. Gradually the project team understand, and reveal to the documentary public, how different cultures are similar in their respective effort to preserve their identities, while also opening up to universality. And the viewers have a closer look to how the different communities live up the dilemma that the whole world is now facing: how to preserve the social and environmental heritages that economic development exploits but by which it is sustained?

[edit]Theme

The documentary will make clear that the Global agenda for development is not, and never will be, a single "policy"; it is rather a plan that visualizes how inter-dependent we all are in tackling the problems of the world.
The MDGs are a step, o political one, towards the Global Agenda for Development, which has a much wider scope: it is the "vocation" of our times, a non hierarchical action network where different peoples and institutions are integrating their efforts to increase knowledge, reduce conflicts and care for this World we live in together.

The purpose of the Documentary is:

To focus on the challenges and stakes of the Global Agenda for Development
To analyse the challenges of implementing Development Cooperation Programs:

the effort in progress; and
the results achieved.

To explore the factors facilitating or contrasting the global partnership for development.
To illustrate who are the people, the institutions and the organizations that are working for the Global Agenda for Development:

portraying their stories,
observing what their projects deliver; and
analyzing if their work really benefits the target populations and impacts on wider social contexts

To show the ways in which people in richer countries are involved in raising funds and other resources for the people of developing nations and in what sense this also benefits the developing countries.
To investigate how the work done in international cooperation affects national and international policies and impacts the communication climate amongst nations.
To show how the media covers (or does not cover) the Cooperation programmes.
To show how artists and educators relate to global partnerships for development; to see how writers, actors, directors, artists, musicians and other artists take part in the global agenda for development.
To challenge presuppositions that most development aid is wasted and that there is little accountability in the way development projects are managed.
To verify the presupposition that most development is sponsored by Western Nations.
To understand how far the local and the global dimensions of sustainable development are interlinked.
To investigate whether the lessons learned in international cooperation activities are used to inform national projects and policies, both in developed and developing countries.
To compare the aptitudes of the peoples of different nations in assuming responsibility for global development and inter-cultural dialogue
And finally, to indicate why the awareness of the global dimension of development and the sense of responsibility for contributing to making it sustainable and fair are the indicators of the ethical and cultural development of a nation.

[edit]Work in progress for the documentary script

Episode 1 - MDG 1 - Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Episode 2 - MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education

Episode 3 - MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

Episode 4 - MDG 4 Reduce child mortality

related to the issue 3 - NGOs as development actors: their role, their limits; their challenges

Episode 5 - MDG 5: Improve maternal health ?

related to the issue 8 - How to design and manage successful cooperation programmes?

Episode 6 - MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Episode 7 - MDG 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

related to the issue 10 - Sharing knowledge and resources

Episode 8 - MDG 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Episode 9 - New Goals 1 - Recognize and protect our diverse identities and our common heritage -

Episode 10 - New Goals 2 - Improve the health of the global communication climate.

⇒ List of all scenes

[edit]Characters:

Stefano: man 55 years, Italian one who has traveled, read, thought over. The thinker behind .... who tells the team member what to search ... and comments the findings ... but careful Stefano! Do not preach the viewer! (and do not bossy your colleagues).

Francesco: man 57 Italian . The journalist. The media expert. "Yes Stefano, but ... How do you think that .... And the public? And the "real" powers? .... Putting the feet on the ground, while leaving the head up tall. Hey boys: images! non just talking ! ... but Francesco! do not focus on pritty women!

Vrinda: woman 50 Indian. The archetype" of the committed development professional. The Eastern point of view. Why is the charm of working in International Cooperation? Can you pass over that charm, please? Even to those who pay the taxes for financing development in remote, and sometimes hostile, regions? And do not forget: development is empowering women (and that is the only way to finally get powerful men).

Gauri: woman 22 Mixed race! are you from G? Why don't you tell us? The "young one" of the team. She wants to "find out". She wants to know. She wants the answers! She will go, asks, find out. What are we doing ? What are we achieving? Why so little???? Whose fault is it? What should we do then? Ok Gauri. We will find out! ... But let's proceed with order .... And do not spend evenings also editing videos! You are 21!

Aarya: man 24. Arab. The young, sweet, a tittle pretentious philosopher. Hey guys, do not trey to find bid news. Nothing really new below the sun. Cultures always enriched one another and always clashed. there has been always dialectics between traditionalists and modernists ... nothing new. Let's enjoy the enquiry: it is the road that matters not arriving!. �Happiness is not a station to arrive at, but a manner of travelling.� �A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.� Yes but ... Aarya ... We need video news !! ... Let's move! We need to go! Where have you been last night???

Mario: man 65. Musician . The MDGs cannot be achieved until they are mere policy declaration on text. We need the song, we need the dance! When we will have the music score of the MDGs and we will turn the objectives into a hymn that can be sung by all peoples as their song, then we will have the dance plan! So, let's search for the right harmonies .... Mario! Do non give us music lectures! But make for us a flying music carpet!