Finally it is done! This documentary about the winter school in Senegal was half a year in the works and my first video project of such magnitude. Most of the filming in Senegal was completely improvised, which definitely did not make the editing process any easier and in hindsight I would have done a lot of things differently (particularly with lighting and stabilization). However, I do hope that the end result is interesting and watchable to at least a few people. I will never again underestimate the work it takes to create even such a short documentary, particularly if one person is responsible for everything.
Nevertheless, creating this video was a great learning experience and it gave me the chance to go to Senegal, and to interact with the inspiring students from all over Africa that took part in the course. AIMS Senegal is a place where good work is being done by great people, like Prof. Moustapha Fall says: “AIMS is creating the environment where you can really develop something”. Initially, the documentary was planned to be mainly about the course in mathematical modelling that Jai, Agostino, Moustapha and Esteban organized and taught there… but in the end I had to include a large part about AIMS. The opportunities created, and the teaching and scientific & cultural exchange happening at AIMS Senegal are exemplary for how to creating lasting and positive changes. Developmental aid can be a tricky subject, but to me AIMS is a perfect example of where support is needed and helpful, and i think more people should know about it!
This is the first video on our new youtube channel, where we will be posting more related videos soon. If you are interested, please subscribe!