Zinder

THEME 7: ENDURING VALUES

Each video capsule consists of an interview with a member of the Zinder Brain Trust about a specific theme, intercut with extracts from the film which illustrate this theme. Each one is just 10minutes long, the idea being that within a one hour class or group session, one or two themes can be treated, even if the whole film has not been seen by everyone. At the bottom of this page, you will find links to additional resources, a list of possible questions to stimulate discussion and a suggestion for individual and group activities.

The obstacles and challenges facing the youth of Niger are so great and so many – extreme poverty, illiteracy, over-population, unemployment, lack of access to infrastructure, absence of civic status and associated rights – that it can be difficult to see where hope lies. Indeed a recent report by UNICEF which asked Nigerien youth to identify their dreams, concluded that by and large young people in Niger have given up on their dreams. Many have simply ceased to believe that their aspirations could become a reality. This is a cause for great concern, because it is this very sector – youth – who actually constitute the majority of the current population (70% of the current Nigerien population is aged less than 25 years and 50% under 14 years).  If the youth of today have no hope then what will become of Niger’s future?

Hope is necessary. Hope is the driver of change and the primary source of human motivation to confront and overcome challenges. In the absence of hope, it is difficult to muster the courage to try to overcome hardship.  In the film, despite all odds to the contrary, we do see hope.  The youth of Kara-Kara, who have every reason to be hardened and without hope, display solidarity, goodwill, generosity and fraternity towards each other.

Aicha has spoken of having her own assumptions overturned upon entering into the community of Kara-Kara. Beneath the outer surface of violence and despair, she found the existence of enduring humanity and the qualities necessary to take the community forward. Likewise, in this video, Professor Moumouni of the University of Abdou Moumouni in Niamey, enumerates the enduring humanist values that indicate that all is not lost.

QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES