On Site Internship

Abdillah Salim - Testimonial

Dates: 3rd of February - 3rd of March
Mentee:  Abdillah Salim ( @abdillah.salim )
Mentors: 

• Jigar Ganatra ( @jiganatra ) -  Award-winning visionary Tanzanian filmmaker whose eco philosophical documentaries challenge humanity to rethink our connection to nature. He has made films in collaboration with communities in remote areas including the East African Savannah, Amazon Rainforest, and the Himalayas.

• Casey Cooper (@CooperLost) - Photographer, boat captain, pilot, and fly-fishing guide from the United States of America. He is passionate about adventure and wildlife photography, and he has traveled the world to capture the beauty of this planet and the incredible creatures that live amongst us. He is also a creative photographer who uses his skills to share the magnificence of the natural world with others.

This was the third Underwater Filmmaking Program of AFRISOS, it was in partnership with Mafia Island Diving and supported by Africa No Filter, Mafia Island Marine Park and Afro Whale Shark Safari. This 1-month program took place in Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania, a protected area covering over 822 square kilometers of land and sea that conserves and protects the rich marine biodiversity found in the area.

Abdullah was motivated to apply for the internship program because he wanted to equip himself with professional knowledge of underwater photography and videography, so he could help researchers and government institutes in marine life conservation, or showcase the underwater beauty and creatures found in our oceans. He also wanted to tell digital stories in a different perspective by using underwater content.

Abdullah was passionate about underwater photography and videography. He believed that these skills could be used to make a positive impact on the world, by helping to protect marine life and raise awareness about the importance of ocean conservation. He was also eager to learn from professional trainers and other participants in the internship program, and to network with them to improve his skills and knowledge.

This mentorship program was particularly challenging. The mentee, Abdullah, was not happy with the accommodation that was provided to him. He found a spider in his room and was not comfortable staying there. This forced the mentor, Jigar, to use a lot of his time to try to find a new accommodation for Abdullah, even though there was no extra budget for it.

In addition, the selection process was too short. This meant that Abdullah was not well prepared for the program and did not have enough time to learn about what was expected of him; This led to some confusion and disorganization. Abdullah was not clear on what he was supposed to do or which contents he should capture. As a result, he ended up focusing more on his own thing,  and not being as involved in the program as we expected. He only paid attention to editing, but he avoided tagging AFRISOS in his social media posts about the program, even when we asked him to do so repeatedly.

Despite these challenges, the AFRISOS mentorship program was still a valuable experience for both Abdullah and AFRISOS. Abdullah learned a lot about underwater photography and videography, and the feedback from this program will be used to improve future programs and ensure that they are more successful.