My Watershed, My Home

2020. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. 22’22”. DOCUMENTARY

Set in Trinidad and Tobago, this film takes us into Fondes Amandes, St. Ann’s, on the outskirts of the country’s capital where diverse members of the community come together to work at reforesting their watershed, and on bringing back its biodiversity. But they must also get creative to address the underlying issues fueling the persistent threat of forest fires.

Akilah Jaramogi and her daughter Kemba, John Stollmeyer (Johnny), and Garth Pierre take us on this journey into their community, into nature, through the issues and their work, as they make their cases for why they do what they do, and also what’s at stake if we do nothing. In the film, we also see and hear “King Kobo”, Johnny’s rendition of the traditional Carnival character the Midnight Robber, who performs “robber talk” as a form of resistance against forces of oppression. The voice of the robber provides lyrical exposition to help frame the issues in the film.

This film is an exploration of the value of the environment and its role in community and culture, in a high-income developing country that is grappling with safeguarding its long-term economic and social well-being. It explores ideas of home, questions around development, and also provides examples of how communities can begin to take charge of the environments in which they live.

Featuring: John Stollmeyer, Akilah Jaramogi, Kemba Jaramogi, Garth Pierre, Jemac Francois, Julien Jeffrey Seeberath.