August Town tells its own story

To the casual observer, it seemed just another grouping of ‘youths’ from August Town. The five sat unobtrusively to one side of the lecture theatre, interacting little with the various officials gathered. But as the evening progressed and their names were called—Shanice Rutherford, Chester Thompson, Tashi Campbell, Rayon O’Connor, and Olando Ferguson—the pride on their faces was evident and they could hardly wait to tell their story.

According to the National Library of Jamaica, August Town, a community bordering The UWI, Mona Campus, is thought to have been named for the fact that freedom came to the enslaved people of this country on the 1st August, 1838. August Town is also known as the home of Alexander Bedward, the self-proclaimed prophet who first emerged in the public arena in the late 1800s, converting thousands of followers to Bedwardism and later claiming that he could fly. Today, the name August Town conjures up images of gang violence and social ills. The five young persons insist, however, that the community is not all bad, and that they wanted to provide a glimpse of that other, softer August Town to outsiders.

The opportunity came through their participation in the Greater August Town Film Project, spearheaded by the Centre for Tourism and Policy Research at The UWI, Mona Campus, and launched at a ceremony held at Mona in October 2012. The Centre is located in the Faculty of Social Sciences and aims to advance research and training in the area of tourism and other development policy research in Jamaica and the Caribbean. It is currently working along with the University Township Project—an initiative to foster a better relationship between the Campus and the community—to facilitate the development of community tourism. Director of Mona Social Services– UWI Township, Dr. Olivene Burke, informed the audience that the entire effort was part of a larger vision for August Town as a tourist destination. She said that community
members were already being trained as tour guides to take advantage of the opportunities that were expected to arise.

The film project is a component of that community tourism initiative. The project encouraged youth from the community to get involved with storytelling and film making around community and national issues. The aim was to encourage the young people to use the medium as a vehicle to educate, inspire, entertain and gain employment while deepening their understanding of their society.

Over a five-day period in August 2012, a group of trainees from the Greater August Town community were provided with basic knowledge of video production and film. Videographer/film maker Robert Harris guided the trainees in the elements of creating and editing film while film maker, writer and actor Keiran King delivered a guest lecture. The class was split into two groups – one which produced a documentary, and the other a short film. The graduates were then given the opportunity to redo and extend their films with the help of a professional crew from Phase Three Productions Ltd. and with guidance of film maker, Sean Casely, and the original instructor, Robert Harris.

The outcome was the documentary ‘August Town Tells A Story’ produced by Shanice Rutherford, Chester Thompson and Tashi Campbell, as well as the short film ‘Fast Lane’, produced by Olando Ferguson and Rayon O’Connor. According to the producers of the documentary, they were aware of the stigma attached to their community and wanted an opportunity to say to the wider society: this is what you might have heard about August Town but this is who we are. Accordingly over the period, they interviewed older members of the community who highlighted the rich history of August Town from the colonial period to the present and its significance to the culture and heritage of both Kingston and the wider Jamaica. Younger persons spoke to their hopes for the future. The film ‘Fast Lane’ was more of a cautionary tale, highlighting the perils of trying to get rich without going through the necessary preparation in life.

Director of the Centre, Professor Ian Boxill, explained that the intention is to expand the project into the Greater August Town Film Festival. He contended that the festival would provide a platform for filmmakers from the community to reach a wider audience with their work and create employment for themselves and the community. “We believe this community enterprise will help to foster the growth of the trainees and emerging community voices passionate about creating solutions to the current challenges”. At the end of the evening, the project received a significant fillip as noted film maker Lennie Little-White offered the trainees internships with his company. Speaking for the group, a delighted Rayon exclaimed: “We’re ready to go!