My
Pen Pal in Tanzania
By Jeremy O’Kasick |
Megan
and Atanasia at Ayalabe School in Karatu |
For months, Megan Donahue had been exchanging letters
with her pen pal, Atanasia, a student at Ayalabe Primary
School in Karatu, Tanzania. After much anticipation,
Megan and Atanasia were now finally meeting in Ayalabe's
open school yard, surrounded by the fragrance of mango
and eucalyptus trees.
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They started out all quiet and shy. Two girls -- one American,
one Tanzanian -- stood face to face for the first time, perhaps
feeling as if under a spotlight with the eyes of teachers,
students, parents, and guests upon them.
But the
girls' coyness didn't last long, soon giving way to smiles
and hand-holding as they hurried off to play and get to know
one another, bridging the language gap through hand clapping
games and pantomime.
Megan learned some Swahili, the country's national language, and Atanasia learned a bit of English. They played a popular Tanzanian sport called netball.
"The experience
of meeting my pen pal was so amazing," says Megan, now 12
years old and entering the 7th grade. "It taught me that you
don't have to speak the same language, or be from the same
places or the same cultures to make relationships and have
fun."
Behind
the Scenes
Megan’s father, Shaun Donahue, a veteran director of
photography, took high-definition digital footage of the pen
pal meeting and also of the family’s entire safari.
Shaun was initially merely interested in producing a quality
film for his family, but was soon intrigued by the story to
be told and decided to create a documentary.
"I
started taking a look at the footage in depth on the plane
back to the US," says Shaun. "There were some great moments.
The pen pal and cultural exchanges enhanced the safari into
something so much more. It was eye-opening for Megan and our
family. Meeting the Maasai, for example, was such a growth
experience for all of us."
Over a
year and a half would pass while Shaun toiled away at odd
hours, working with an editor and others to produce the documentary.
He even went back and shot additional footage with Megan,
this time in the role of narrator, in front of the Golden Gate
Bridge. He added English subtitles to a few sections in Swahili,
and found a Tanzanian girl in the US to read Atanasia's pen
pal letters aloud.
From Pen Pal Letters to American Film Festivals
By the spring of 2009, the documentary, titled My Pen
Pal, debuted at the Tiburon Film Festival in northern
California. After the credits rolled to the crowd's applause,
Megan and her father Shaun took questions from the audience.
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The film covers the Donahue
family's entire trip, including ventures into the Serengeti,
with fantastic action-packed shots of lions and other
wildlife and interviews with guides. However, it's obviously
the pen pals who steal the show with poignant moments
and memorable scenes, such as when their faces are superimposed
over their letters as they are read aloud. There are
even a few dramatic surprises no one expected.
My
Pen Pal has since screened at the San Francisco
Children's Festival and recently had a showing at the
Landlocked Film Festival in Iowa. Shaun says he will
continue to screen the film at other festivals and he
also hopes to produce a DVD. |
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Photos
courtesy of Shaun Donahue
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