Community Cinema Screening of TAKING ROOT at Whole Foods Market

Read about the special upcoming Community Cinema screening of TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, which tells the story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a global movement. The screening will be at Whole Foods Market Briarcliff in Atlanta, GA, on Thursday, July 2, at 8:00 PM. Amy Wheeler of Whole Foods Market explains her interest in Community Cinema.

I am so excited to bring Community Cinema to Whole Foods Market Briarcliff in Atlanta, GA. After serving one year with AmeriCorps and having the privilege to work with ITVS and Community Cinema, I hoped that my move from the non-profit sector to Whole Foods would provide me with an outlet for my passion for community and volunteerism.

While in Boston with AmeriCorps, our film screenings went from having no more than ten attendees to well over 100 attendees once we partnered with ITVS. The excitement and passion that came with this success was overwhelming. ITVS’s films ignite conversations and bring people of all cross-sections together to meet and discover ways to improve the community. It is an amazing and inspiring thing to be a part of.

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Tags: Africa, Wangari Maathai, Whole Foods

Ithaca Community Cinema Reports on TAKING ROOT

Ithaca Community Cinema recently held a screening of the Independent Lens film TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai at S.T.A.M.P.‘s Guerrilla Griots Human Rights Media Arts Center. TAKING ROOT tells the dramatic story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a global movement. Afterwards, a discussion was led by the film’s musical composer and two sisters from Kenya who participated in the Green Belt Movement. Read more about this event and its impact in the report below from the Guerrilla Griots blog.

The Ithaca Community Cinema screening of TAKING ROOT.

TAKING ROOT music composer Samite of Uganda with the one of the Kamau sisters of Kenya.

S.T.A.M.P.’s Guerrilla Griots Human Rights Media Arts Center is one of over 50 venues throughout the United States who participate in a free, monthly screening series in partnership with ITVS and PBS. Community Cinema is a monthly screening series which creates accessible opportunities for civic engagement and public education around important social issues.

To bring in Spring, Community Cinema featured TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai. TAKING ROOT tells the dramatic story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights and defend democracy––a movement for which this charismatic woman became an iconic inspiration. On March 20, over 100 people from the greater Ithaca area packed a small screening room downtown to watch the film; listen to the inspiration of TAKING ROOT musical composer Samite of Uganda; learn from two sisters from Kenya who participated in the Green Belt Movement; and share local, fair-trade and organic fare courtesy of GreenStar Community Projects.

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Tags: Africa, environmental, Wangari Maathai

TAKING ROOT Video Modules Available

ITVS is proud to present COMMUNITY CLASSROOM lesson plans and video modules for TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, which tells the story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a global movement.

Classroom activities and homework assignments examine how environmental issues such as deforestation are intricately linked to many other social issues, and how organizations such as the Green Belt Movement mobilize citizens to take action.

Standards aligned lesson plans are directed toward grades 9 through 12, and college students for use in the following subject areas: social studies, environmental studies, political science, women’s studies, international studies, world history, government and civics.

Watch video modules and download lesson plans >>

Tags: Africa, environmental, Wangari Maathai, women

In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs

An audio interview with Dr. Wangari Maathai about the Independent Lens program TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai.
Listen to the interview >>

Filmmaker Stacy Peralta discusses his film CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America, airing on Independent Lens.
Read more >>

“Kamikaze translates as ‘divine wind,’ and was a made-up word meant to conjure mythic status. The stories are sad, the war propaganda outrageous, and the message emphatically anti-war.”
Read more >>

“Like reading a book, [Community Cinema] films expand your mind so you want to learn more. There’s a chance to share with others and hear different perspectives. It’s like belonging to a book club, but it’s a movie club.”
Read more >>

An audio interview with Justine Nagan and Gordon Quinn of Kartemquin Films about their Independent Lens film MILKING THE RHINO.
Listen to the interview >>

Tags: Africa, gangs, Wangari Maathai

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Presents TAKING ROOT

A large crowd recently gathered from across the Detroit metro area to watch the Community Cinema screening of TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

The evening started with a dance performance by students of Heritage Works, a local performing arts studio. Ranging in age from 7 to 17 years old, the group played drums, danced and sang African rhythms.

After viewing the film, Rebecca Salminen Witt, president of The Greening of Detroit, a conservation group, took the stage to answered questions about what can be done and is being done in the city of Detroit to combat urban decay. She talked about performing free soil tests, the struggle to save Belle Isle and the opportunity to volunteer at tree plantings.

David Gakure, education specialist at the Detroit Zoo, also spoke and shared stories about growing up in Kenya, where he watched as his mother plant trees because of what she had learned from Dr. Maathai. His impassioned story inspired others to share, including a attendee originally from Nairobi, about the exploitation of natural resources.

Want to find upcoming screenings in your area? Community Cinema selections are screened in more than 50 locations throughout the United States. Check out the schedule and find Community Cinema in your neighborhood >>

Tags: Africa, Detroit, Wangari Maathai

The Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, CA Presents TAKING ROOT

Maggie Wright, panelist; Humboldt State University student and catering assistant; Hermine Amoussou, event organizer, panelist and caterer extraordinaire; and an audience member, originally from Kenya, whose mother attended school with Wangari Maathai.

Attendees of last night's screening in Eureka, CA, enjoy a delicious African dinner prepared by Hermine Amoussou.

Last night, a large crowd packed the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, CA, for the Community Cinema screening of TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, co-presented by KEET-TV, the Humboldt Arts Council and Humboldt State University Library.

The evening began with a delicious African dinner prepared by one of the panelists and organizers, Hermine Amoussou, with the dedicated and well-organized assistance of her Humboldt State African studies students.

While attendees dined and viewed gallery exhibits––including an exhibit of photos taken by children in an orphanage in Benin––tables were set up with information about conservation efforts and ways to get involved provided by Roots and Shoots, an organization that strives to create a better world, and Six Rivers National Forest, which encompasses 957,590 National Forest acres in Northwestern California.

Well-fed, the crowd was eager to see TAKING ROOT and seemed to be thoroughly engaged by the film. The screening was followed by a discussion facilitated by Dr. Noah Zerbe, assistant professor of politics at Humboldt State University; Hermine Amoussou, lecturer of anthropology at Humboldt State University and College of the Redwoods (originally from Benin); Melanie Williams, lecturer of politics at Humboldt State University; Nancy Gibson, deputy forest supervisor at Six Rivers National Forest; and Maggie Wright, real estate broker (originally from Kenya).

The crowd was eager to ask questions. Below is a sample of the dialogue from the lively Q&A:

How is the current situation in East Africa?
In Kenya, the infrastructure has gone bad––roads are bad and the security is questionable. Historically, during the presidency of Jomo Kenyatta, he gave away lands to his cronies, so the situation for the people who don’t own land is particularly bad and there is a lot of corruption.

What does earth-based politics look like? What if we spent our energy seeking a different political spectrum? The image I’m thinking about is the soldiers holding guns in one hand and a plant in the other from the movie.
In order to continue our existence, we have to do our part in small ways: teaching our children to recycle, and to respect our nature. Small things can lead to big change. We should also spread the message by word of mouth, too. We need to have an important dialogue about what we care about. Lately, I’ve been very encouraged by reading recent letters to the editors about sustainability and preserving our ecology here on the North coast (i.e. Richardson Grove Highway 101 expansion, etc). We need to take more time for dialogue!

In the movie, Wangari Maathai says “good things come from the mountains” and that rang true with me. Back in 1900, 60% of U.S. was rural. In 2000, 80% of people live in metropolitan areas. Our children are spending too much time with media (TV/Internet etc), and they are spending far less time interacting with nature. How can we help our children connect with our natural world?
Local Forest Service Office started a program called “Kids in the Woods” sponsoring dozens of partnership projects all over the country to get kids outdoors, up close and personal with nature. Our local Eureka Zoo’s Roots and Shoots group has been working toward its parent group, the Jane Goodall Institute’s goal of planting trees in the U.S. Our choices need to reflect the future generations.
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During last night’s discussion, many people commented about the film’s impact on them. One person remarked, “I was struck deeply by Wangari Maathai’s courage. She challenged part of her own culture while maintaining her culture.” While another attendee was struck by the message of conservation and the importance of education “Nature is orderly. You can learn a lot from science and nature and we need to teach our kids, too.”

TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai premieres April 14 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings)

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Tags: environmental, Eureka, Wangari Maathai

Podcast Interview with Wangari Maathai

How does the simple act of planting trees lead to winning the Nobel Peace Prize? Listen to the audio podcast interview with Dr. Wangari Maathai to find out.

Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai’s simple act grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights and defend democracy––a movement for which this charismatic woman became an iconic inspiration.

In this exclusive interview, Wangari discusses the upcoming Independent Lens program TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Mathaai and her commitment to environmental, social and economic justice.

Download the interview on iTunes for free
(TRT: 15 minutes) >>

Tags: Africa, environmental, Wangari Maathai