Weekly Blog #24

Last week was Spring Break, which allowed me to take a very much needed break from the stress of all of my schoolwork and homework. While last week was a period of time off from my classes, it allowed me to focus on the developmental research of my final product. I chose to specifically target the accumulation of research over the countries of Cameroon and South Sudan, because out of the countries I am discussing in my final documentary (Cameroon, South Sudan, Venezuela and Romania), I knew the least about the human rights situations in these two countries. After the completion of my original work last semester, I feel that I have a strong grasp on the concepts of the human rights violations in Venezuela. I have also done some prior research on Romania, but intend to dive deeper into this country’s research throughout this upcoming week, while also drawing connections and comparisons between the four nations.

Before break began, I had the opportunity to conduct a filmed interview with Dr. Celestin Musekura, the founder of ALARM. For the purpose of accumulating primary footage for my documentary, I was able to ask him several questions, such as: How has being born an raised in Rwanda influenced your perspective on human rights and perhaps guided your career? And, In your opinion, what is the most effective way to incite positive change in regards to the advancement of the projection and enforcement of universal human rights? I also got to learn about the state of human rights protection in South Sudan and how the country has seen progress with the measures taken by ALARM, in the form of mission trips and informative seminars.