Cape Town Airport
Arriving in Cape Town meant a small dream of mine was fulfilled. We had a sign with our names written on it to meet us.
- Hannah
Joburg impressions
Sandton, Joburg
After a few days in Johannesburg, we’re beginning to get our bearings in big, vibrant and untidy city. Districts are certainly not an Oxford bike ride away, and most journeys across town feature some motorway driving (with all the improvements being put in place for the 2010 World Cup, that can take a while). Maybe that’s why the city can feel so American, even as so many other aspects of life in the city’s swankier quarters (from the English spoken in restaurants to the adverts on TV) can be echoes of home.
The outside impression that the British seem to have of the place is of high walls and razor wire in fearful suburbs, but our experience (which has taken us to the literal heights of Constitution Hill down to the famous melting pot district of Yeoville) has shown how accessible even the most important people in the country can be.
Hannah films outside the Constitutional Court
We’ve filmed Constitutional Court justice Edwin Cameron donning his robes, and were greeted with tea by Greenpeace CEO-to-be Kumi Naidoo, who chatted with us about his extraordinary life before Oxford (his Rhodes scholarship began early, since he was on the run from the Apartheid-era secret police) and his plans for his new job. We should probably keep quiet about those.
We got an idea about the future of South Africa (though she’d probably regard that phrase as far too pompous) by speaking to Trudi Makhaya, who followed an MBA at Oxford with a job at the innovation consulting arm of Deloitte. While her views about South Africa are hardly rose-tinted, it’s interesting to hear how she regarded coming back as a no-brainer: not as a sacrifice, but as a positive choice given the opportunities this growing country provides.
- Tom
Day one
We’ve arrived safely in Johannesburg, swapping the rain of August in England for the warm sun of South African winter.
After kit checks, a shower and a search for a local SIM card (mobile phone shop staff are the same in every country, we’ve concluded), we met up with Kieran Clifford, our main contact here and president of the local Oxford and Cambridge alumni group. At huge personal and professional cost, Kieran has organised a gold-plated internship scheme for seven hyper-achieving current Oxford students, introducing them to South Africa and vice versa. It was impressive to meet him face-to-face, both for stories about his globe-trotting life, and for a description of this country from someone who is obviously in love with the place.
We’re also getting sorted a packed programme of interviews, as well as filming the Cape Town TB vaccinations (that’s going ahead!) and meeting with the interns, now in the final week of their placements. I guess we can sleep on the plane.
Lastly, we caught up for a beer with fellow filmmaker Will Sansom, who’s been in in the north of South Africa and Lesotho filming the activities of Msizi, a charity providing food for disadvantaged kids. As well as learning about the charity, it was good to talk about the practicalities of filming here from a friendly Oxford face. At the risk of sounding preachy, today (day one!) showed what this trip is all about – passionate people giving back to the future generations, and using contacts made through the University to get things done.
- Tom
Will Sansom at work
100 Faces Parody – A Flattering Imitation
Today my friendly google alert pointed me to the fact that someone is making ‘The Wall of 100 Arses’ on YouTube. Not only am I flattered, I’m impressed. I had a good giggle watching them – the interviewer has certainly captured the essence of the Wall, and I love the Guitar Hero references. Not sure how happy the University Offices will be with him using the Uni logo, but luckily I don’t have to worry about that. A good laugh for all those familiar with the original Wall.
- Hannah
…and Cape Town too (maybe)?
I’ve just heard that there might - might – be a possibility of Tom and I visiting Cape Town as part of our trip, to film some of the University’s TB Vaccine Trials underway there. This would be incredibly exciting, and really newsworthy stuff. At the moment we are only scheduled to interview Alumni in Johannesburg.
A news story of the vaccine project near Cape Town can be found here.
It also ties in to a ‘Researcher Profile’ I recorded of Dr Helen McShane and Dr Helen Fletcher back in July 2008, talking about the vaccine work they do. It would be great to use this footage for a re-edit of their profile. They are two very interesting women doing such an important job, and a laugh to interview too. It’s always fun to film when an interviewee is passionate about their work.
- Hannah
Researcher Profile of Dr Helen McShane and Dr Helen Fletcher (link to video will be active when video published by client)
A Photo Shoot before we leave
There’ll probably be some articles printed about our trip in some Ox Uni publications and on the Uni website (check us!), so Jo (the lovely pictures editor in the publications office), asked us for some photos. Unfortunately all my ‘action’ photos only feature me or Alice, so we persuaded my dad, and Tom’s housemate Derek, to help us with a photo shoot.
Although these self promotional things are always a bit cringeworthy, I’m pretty happy with the result. Some however of them made Tom and I look a bit couple-y so of course they immediately got e-shredded…
- Hannah
Round-the-world tickets booked
I thought I had a jammy job already, doing something I love for a living, but it seems to have got better. After three weeks of meetings and proposals, today we finally booked the flights for the ‘Alumni on Film’ project, for Rhodes House, the University Alumni Office and the Careers service, among other clients.
I’m petrified and ecstatic at the same time. The itinerary is as follows:
Johannesburg – Hong Kong – Beijing – Mumbai – Bangalore – Singapore – Malaysia – Thailand – Sydney – Melbourne – Auckland – Honolulu – LA – SF – Toronto – Ottawa – NYC – DC – Bermuda
Then back to London, in February 2010.
While our friends are very jealous, it’s a long way from an ‘all expenses paid’ trip - Tom and I have quoted a fixed amount to our sponsor departments, and we’ll lose a lot of money on the trip. It will also be a phenomenal amount of work. But it’ll be worth it. We’ll be staying with alumni – something I love the idea of doing. I’m not a big fan of hotels or B&Bs, when I can stay with locals and get to know a place like they do. And I can’t wait to interview people, and hear the stories they have to tell.
- Hannah
Wall of 100 Faces Launch at Rhodes House
100 Faces launched today! We had about 90 people attend – many of the students involved, important folk from around the University including the Vice Chancellor, my department, and of course… my parents.
It was all very swanky and my boss Christopher gave a very complimentary speech which embarrassed me somewhat (but made my parents very happy).
It is very satisfying to see the Wall all up and finished after having spent so long on it. Follow the link and see if you can find all the videos of boys in whose interview shots I managed to place teddy bears in the background…
- Hannah
The Wall of 100 Faces
Hannah
Tom
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