We are still high on the energy and inspiration from Sunday night's event. To those of you who were able to attend, thank you for your attention and your support! We hope you enjoyed the film and discussion as much as we did. For those who weren't able to make it, you can catch Music By Prudence on HBO, May 12th. And we will be putting up a video of the panel discussion soon. Stay tuned!
We would also like to thank our amazing panelists, Shantha Rau Barriga, Kim Snyder and Derek Weisehahn, and our moderator Jessica Reynolds for their insight, and our event partners Soho House and Human Rights Watch.
Our moderator Jess Reynolds with the panelists
A captivated audience - The Echo EffectWe are still trying to raise money for Prudence Mabhena to come to the US next month and need your help! Please donate or pass this on to your communities. Your tax-deductible donations would go towards her trip, special van and attendant, and will also help programs at her school in Zimbabwe.
Below is a message from director Roger Ross Williams and Dominic Muntanga, founder of the Council for Zimbabwe.
Thank you for your continued generosity and interest, and we will see you at the next event!
Cheers,
Shruti Ganguly + Smriti Mundhra
Co-founders, EchoChamber
www.startanecho.org
Roger Ross Williams: Artistic Statement
Since the Oscars, remarkable things continue to happen. Prudence's return to her native Zimbabwe last week was met by the following national headline: Government must take measures to protect the disabled . It has become evident that Prudence's voice, figuratively and quite literally, has the potential to become a powerful one in global advocacy for people with disabilities. We have a rare opportunity on hand. In early May, Music By Prudence will be broadcast on HBO to millions of people in the US. In light of all this, we have launched the Music By Prudence Project, a fledgling initiative that proposes to bring Prudence to the US for the month of May beginning with the HBO premiere for a series of public appearances, advocacy meetings, and cultural events that will serve to establish Prudence as an international advocate and explore an initiative that will raise awareness about disability in Africa and create exchange between African and American people with disabilities.
For more information, visit: www.musicbyprudence.com
Dominic Muntanga: Council for Zimbabwe
One of the key challenges facing Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe now is how to attract the skills and expertise of about 3-5 million Zimbabweans, including lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers and business executives who left the country because of the social and economic collapse during the last decade. This move has had a debilitating effect on the delivery of social services and threatens reconstruction efforts to reverse the severe decline of infrastructure, the social sector and the economy.
The Council for Zimbabwe is a politically neutral organization formed to coordinate Zimbabweans abroad and global citizens to mobilize financial, human, and material resources to respond to the humanitarian and development needs in Zimbabwe. The organization plans to further this mission by creating an information portal and secure skills database directory to swiftly mobilize and match professionals abroad to institutions in need of expertise in Zimbabwe; establishing a Zimbabwe Development Fund to provide financial support to talented but economically disadvantaged students; convening conference calls, conferences and meetings between the Diaspora, development agencies and Zimbabwean policy makers, to encourage dialogue aimed at addressing systemic challenges and improving development policies; and advocating for the reconstruction of a peaceful, prosperous, and progressive Zimbabwe.
Dominic Muntanga shares his stories and work with us
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