TROJAN HORSE PRESS CONFERENCE FOOTAGE DIGITISED

15th October 2007 marks the 21st anniversary of the Trojan Horse Massacre, in Thornton Road, Athlone, Cape Town.

CVET holds the footage of the historic press conference that was held next day, 16 October 1985 bringing international attention to this tragic event. The press conference highlighted testimony of young children, who survived the tragedy, supported by Trevor Manual, then Secretary General of the United Democratic Front, Moulana Faried Essack and others.

More than 20 years later this footage has been digitized making it accessible to all.

Community Video Education Trust (CVET) conducts entry-level video production training courses to ‘bridge the gap’ for young people from marginalised backgrounds. It promotes the use of video as a development tool to empower organs of civil society to affect change, explore cultural expression and influence decision-makers.

The CVET hosts an archive of more than 2000 hours of historical video footage of the development and anti apartheid struggles of the people of the Western Cape over the past 20 years.

THE CVET ARCHIVE WEBSITE LAUNCH
More than 200 hours of footage has already been digitized. The material may be referenced via the CVET website that will be launched on 27 October 2007. The website will provide information about the content of the digital archive as it becomes available, providing reference material and clips of the footage.

The launch will take the form of a youth festival, utilizing the power of Arts and Culture, celebrating the youth of today who have taken up the baton from the youth of yesterday. The launch targets 500 youth leaders who are passionately and creatively shaping and rebuilding their communities. The guests will engage with artists spanning various genres, communicating a message of “Unity” and a call to “look out for one another”.

Today our youth is seen as the lost generation, surrendering to the allure of fashion and cell phone technology, threatened by the designer drugs and HIV. But they are also victims of our growing consumerist society with its fast eroding morality. They are constantly under threat from gangs, drug dealers and sexual predators, hence the call for young people to look out for one another.

The Youth Festival will involve 3 key elements:
 The Trojan Horse Press Conference Footage will be screened to honour the role of youth of the ’80..
 The festival will showcase young musicians, in a live stage performance, using their socially conscious lyrics to inspire the youth of today.
 The festival will provide the space for our young people to exhibit their achievements in arts and culture.

The launch will serve as a springboard for a Human Rights Awareness Road Show, targeting young people across the province, prioritizing the rural areas. The road show will promote the use of film/video as a development tool through the building of local film clubs. Film clubs will provide a collective of budding or aspirant film makers tasked to help communities celebrate the achievements and record the legacy of their communities. It brings to each community the power of the medium of film to facilitate communication, to mobilise residents, to educate each other and, as an art form, and provide opportunity for self expression and creativity.

In addition the youth will be trained in the use of online networking outlets to further network with each other and showcase their work, in particular the films that tell their own stories. The module will take the form of internet literacy training in local computer labs, with participants developing their own blogs and uploading their films onto You Tube.

Contact: Rozanno Davids – 072 424 3360
For Community Video Education Trust (CVET)
Tel: 021 696 4584