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Storytelling in a Time of Crisis – 12

Storytelling is at the heart of what Empathy Action does. We tell real stories of poverty and desperation and hope through our simulations, our makers’ gifts, our posts, and our photographs.

We try to stand in another’s shoes, and invite others to do the same. 

Although we are currently unable to run our simulations, we know that it is more important than ever that these narratives continue to be told. And so we are reflecting on how to deliver our stories in innovative and fresh ways. 

So when a storyteller offered to share his own insights about what makes a story work, we were keen to listen.

Storytelling, empathy, story

Tom Williams, of Prospect Arts, is a storyteller and film-maker, and a friend of Empathy Action. Prospect Films produces films that matter – including documentaries that give voice to the voiceless, and meet injustice head-on.

First, Tom was interested to hear what we thought. Our responses were all individual, but in essence were the same:

Storytelling, stories, humanity, empathy, humanity 

Tom agreed and elaborated: for him a story must ignite passion, and it does this by disrupting the narrative. Attention is grabbed through the telling of a shocking fact or a powerful statement – a problem – which compels a person to find a solution. From that can come hope.

At Empathy Action we strive to disrupt and alter perspectives by inviting participants at our simulations to question their own lives in the light of what is happening to others. 

This year, the entire world narrative has been disrupted (in more than one respect). It is an opportune moment for us to reassess how best we achieve our ambition of enabling others to choose empathy, and – together – create a powerful force for change. 

The hope in a story may not always be obvious or clear-cut, and may even – in many cases – seem impossible, but it is our joint responsibility to bring it to light and allow it a chance to grow.  

Please keep an eye on what we, at Empathy Action, are doing as we navigate a new course through these fast-changing times.

As always, take care of yourselves – and others.

#chooseempathy #storytelling #hope #together

Tom’s latest project is The Final Fix, which examines the Opioid Crisis in America. In particular, it explores a potential treatment for addiction that is effective and cheap, but largely ignored. It is a powerful piece of storytelling, and – we believe – a must-see. 

 

Empathy in a Time of Crisis – 9

Continuing our blog about this time of global crisis from the perspective of a voluntary team, taking each day as it comes. Thank you for reading.

What’s in a photo…?
ALT empathy, kindness, compassion, solidarity, photos, stories, empathy stories, COVID-19

Someone in the early 20th century is supposed to have said: “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Here we are a century later, in the grip of a pandemic, and these words are amplified. In our technological age we can connect with each other in virtual ways, and so we are able to enjoy an extra special dimension to life. Grandparents can applaud their grandchildren’s first steps via FaceTime, lessons and plays are delivered online, and photos stream to our screens as loved ones share beautiful views or a smile from a familiar face.

Telling stories through photos is something Empathy Action has been exploring this week. At a time when we are far apart, it continues to be a wonderful way for us to stay together. Here are our stories, from afternoon tea to garden magic. We hope you enjoy them.

The power of a simple series of photographs to narrate one of the key stories of today, and do good at the same time, is clear to see here. Ordinary, yet extraordinary, people taking photos with their phones of life and work in our hospitals in order to create a short fund-raising film focusing on the ‘hands that make us proud’.

Stay safe, keep connected, and please do get in touch with your own photo stories. We would love to see them. :)

#chooseempathy #sharestories

 

Malawi Matters

One of our team recently spent some time in the district of Kasungu in the Central Region of Malawi. Here is a little bit about why she was there and what she discovered …

I’m tagging along on my son’s trip (he’s here to gain some volunteer experience in a District Hospital), and although I’m playing second fiddle/PA/hand-washer of clothes/the one with the dollars, I hope to discover something new for myself too.

This is my third trip to the Warm Heart of Africa and I know that the differences between it and my homeland are manifold – some are very obvious while others are so subtle that you only discern them in a drip, drip, drip way much later on.

My guide for the week is Innocent, second son of our friend, Fitta “the Fixer” Chipeta. Fitta knows everyone, and everyone knows Fitta (pronounced Feeta). It is he who has managed to secure my son this placement.

I want to learn more beyond the bare facts that Malawi remains one of the poorest countries in the world with about 50% of the population living below the poverty line and 25% living in extreme poverty. I’d like to hear stories, get to know individuals, gain impressions, understand how we are similar.

It’s true that stories of hardship are writ deep in the earth of this beautiful land. And yet smiles grace the faces of everyone we meet. Including the very engaging Fazili Gama (aka F Man), whom you may have already met via Instagram. He tells us of the ups and downs of his own story – including a recent personal tragedy – and explains his forbearance with reference to the Malawian mindset: “Things happen; we accept them; and we move on.”

Innocent shows me a country rich in bananas, cassava, tomatoes, onions, sugar cane, pumpkins, potatoes, maize, rice and a huge variety of pulses (a potential superfood in times of unpredictable rainfall due to climate change – particularly the so-called ‘Poor Man’s Pulse’, the drought-resistant Bambara groundnut).

I see them growing in the soil and then at the market – a busy, noisy, fast-paced labyrinth of tiny alleys which lead every which way to sell every which thing: to the fish quarter where silver catch from Lake Malawi (usipa) shine in neat piles; to the place where craftsmen hammer new pots and pans to add to their stock; and to stalls where bowls of bead-like pulses sit side by side with roundly stacked tomatoes and onions. And I hear the mellifluous calls of the women vendors as they spill colourful beans through their hands.

This vibrancy is matched by a deep love of life. Our friends (old and new) want to make time for my son and me, and visit us daily to sit, laugh and talk. We see people gathered in groups wherever we go, and I ask Innocent what they are doing. He answers: “They are chatting (kucheza), spending time together. It’s important.”

Back at the hotel the tired furnishings and vacant rooms speak of tough times. And when the power cuts occur (frequently), the generator chugs on only briefly in an effort to ration fuel.

Necessity engenders resourcefulness in all sorts of ways. The green bar of soap in our bathroom has been cut into half, with the other half probably in our neighbour’s room. One waiter says that nothing is wasted and everything is stretched to its maximum use. I learn that any leftovers we leave on our plates at mealtimes will find good homes with the kitchen staff. My son and I decide to over-order from then on …

On the medical side, people are no less inspiring. Each evening after work, clinician Tablin Mwambase drives an hour to a far-off village to assess the progress of a sick patient with serious wounds. He cleans and redresses them, then drives another hour home. When I tell him he is a very good man, he replies quite simply, “Every life matters.”

Richness in humanity … but the reality is that Malawi’s poverty can be crippling. We see it at the hospital, on the streets, at schools and in homes. It affects everything: health and growth, education and aspirations. Our contact at the hospital remarks that my son is very fortunate to be able to realise his ambition to become a medic. Countless families are unable to pay for their children’s secondary education. And although primary school is free, drop-out rates are high (children may be needed on their family smallholdings; basic school equipment is unaffordable; girls fail to attend when they are menstruating due to poor sanitation at school; etc).

One hotel worker asks me if I think Malawi has changed since my first visit in 2012. I answer that – yes, my sense is that times are harder now than then. He agrees, saying that Malawi is beset by corruption at the top. He is doubtful that the unpopular president will be ousted anytime soon, although a court case is seeking to establish the truth behind claims of wrongdoing in the popularly named ‘Tipp-Ex Election’ earlier this year.

Worst of all, the waiter worries that the ‘Warmth’ has gone from this ‘Warm Heart of Africa’.

I don’t want to believe that’s true.

So what have I discovered? That Malawi is a beautiful and complicated place.

Everyone has a story that makes you think and … I realise that I want to hear more – there is a great deal further to learn from these friendly, open and incredibly resilient people, and their deeply captivating land.

Becky