Approach

As dedicated and experienced reporters and cameramen, we have seen the trials and tribulations of inequity during extensive travels around the world. Time and again we were asked to show consequences, never reasons. The story had to be kept simple.

Many of us make an annual contribution to Unicef or Oxfam. But, has the acceptance of the unnecessary death of thousands become part of our mindset? Are the problems of the underdeveloped world just too far from our own home and comfort zone? Is there a link between their plight and our wealth? Our annual donation, supposedly, appeases our conscience, but in reality it is no more than a temporary fix. It is certainly not a long-term solution.

This does not mean that western people, in general, do not care. Initiatives such as Live Aid and Band Aid were genuine cries from the heart - stunning and irrefutable acts of kindness - which unfortunately did not create the type of global change and public awareness that we had all hoped for. Are we then satisfied while watching our fellow man suffer? Apathetic, perhaps overwhelmed, or simply unaware?

This film hopes to contribute to a sincere change in the pattern of our own behaviour. We need to establish an awareness of how the West unknowingly and inadvertently harms the hope for prosperity in underdeveloped nations because of our dependency on goods and material things.

Awareness should be more than just triggering an emotion; it should also be about education - ours. Most of us do not realize that our aid and donations are returned to us, with profit. Most of us do not realize that the fuel for African conflict is, to put it bluntly, our demand for African resources. Western consumers are unknowingly purchasing stolen goods, or perhaps worse, without wanting to know. Our perception of Africa is that the whole continent is in a perpetual state of war. While there are indeed many conflicts, that picture only paints part of the reality. Most experts agree that fair and equal trade would be the best and fastest way to improve the stability of the developing world. This ought to be our collective goal; to live in a world where every nation has the ability for self sustenance.