An academic paper describes the impressive outcomes of the teacher training program of our partner in Uganda
30/11/2021
Three weeks of exchange and service around the world
16/12/2021“Forget about yourself to connect to this ‘we’”, an unforgettable winter edition with “Bigger than us” to close the Festival du Cinéma du Sud 2021
A few months after its presentation at the Cannes Film Festival 2021 and on the occasion of International Volunteer Day, the Festival du Cinéma du Sud (Southern Film Festival) closes its season by screening “Bigger than us” at the Cinéma Utopia on 5 December, a film directed by Flore Vasseur and produced by Flore Vasseur, Denis Carlot and Marion Cotillard.
Embarked on a journey around the world to meet seven youths who have been committed to improving the living conditions of their communities since childhood, the hall fills with silence and emotion. The desire to act. Whether fighting for freedom of expression in the favelas of Rio, for social justice for refugees in Greece, for the climate in Colorado, for human rights in rural villages in Malawi, for access to education in refugee camps or for food in Uganda, “Rene, Mary, Xiu, Memory, Mohamad and Winnie reveal to us a beautiful world, one of courage and joy, of commitment to something greater than oneself. When everything seems to be or has been falling apart, these young people show us how to live. And what it means to be, in the world, today.”
The screening is followed by a discussion with the audience about commitment. How does the film redefine commitment? What are the values we need to manifest collectively and individually if we want to participate in the betterment of society? And what motivates you to act?
“These youth are mobilising, because they have resolved the question of what they are doing on earth and their egos, which they have put aside. Activism is difficult because you have to forget about yourself to connect to this ‘we’. It is not a dilution, but an increase of oneself. Furthermore, our culture devalues activists and sees them as naive and unprofitable. But when we act, we connect to an energy that goes beyond ourselves, and to something bigger than ourselves.”
To these questions, the audience, mostly youth, was receptive and mentioned various values at the heart of motivation and commitment such as curiosity, the search for knowledge, love, a sense of justice, the feeling of being part of one big human family.
Nicole Ikuku, director of the Cercle de coopération des ONG luxembourgeoises (Luxembourg NGO Cooperation Circle), then informed the audience about some of the realities of volunteering and the opportunities to get involved in Luxembourg. She invited the audience to meet the NGOs of the Festival du Cinéma du Sud, present in the room.
Nicole Ikuku on the right, questioned by Chantal Winandy from Kindernothilfe on the left, about volunteering.
At the end of the event, through written feedback, spectators described the film as “realistic and moving”, “motivating and inspiring to act”, a “concrete example”, “very strong and guilt-free” with the conclusion that “volunteering can make a bigger difference than we think”.
Unity Foundation had the chance to interact with the audience, including with a family of three young girls and their mother, who were inspired by the film to take action in their school and their surroundings. Change comes through awareness and action by everyone! To this end, Unity Foundation is at the service of any individual, company or institution that would like to volunteer to promote the principles of sustainable development and organise their own space for exchange, where the role, potential and opportunities of everyone can be explored!
You want to organise film screenings and activities to raise awareness among your peers and you need material and organisational support? Contact us!
Phone: +352 621 656 996
Email: info@unityfoundation.lu
Thank you to Cinéma Utopia for its commitment, to the public who came to meet us and to all the NGOs involved in the organisation of the Festival du Cinéma du Sud!
