Storytellers for the Kingdom of God: Film Training in North Africa

In June, the ITEC film training team traveled to North Africa to teach local Christ followers how to tell their stories through mobile filmmaking. We partnered with one of the two known evangelical churches in the country to equip local church members attending university in the city. The 12 trainees, mostly sub-Saharan African students representing 5 different nations, learned how to tell compelling stories, conduct interviews, and shoot and edit videos using their mobile phones.

Being both a Christian and a foreigner in this particular North African country is incredibly challenging. Our trainees often face denial of services by businesses, including something as simple as getting taxi rides, making traveling to and from the training during the week difficult. They showed up every day, ready to learn and grow despite these challenges, and their dedication and commitment to the training was truly inspiring.

Security concerns for both our team and our trainees meant that we had to stay inside the church building the entire time, and all of the filming had to be done within one small space. Despite these limitations, the trainees demonstrated incredible creativity, using every corner of the building in creative ways to film their projects. One of the teams who ventured outside was stopped by the police while filming, mistakenly accused of making anti-government videos. Thankfully the chief of police, who was keeping watch outside of the church was able to bring clarity to the situation quickly. This incident, while unnerving in the moment, highlighted the impact digital storytelling has in the world in both positive and negative ways. We were able to talk about this and the tremendous platform the internet gives us to share stories of what God is doing around the world and to see the Gospel proclaimed to those who do not have access to the Bible or a church in their communities.

Through this training, our hope is to see these local Christ followers use film to share the Gospel and Christ's love. In places where it's hard to talk about faith openly, these trainees, now filmmakers, can reach people who might never have heard their stories otherwise. By sharing their faith and personal stories, these films can inspire hope and encouragement in a dark world, and most importantly, carry the Gospel where it has never been before. if you or your church would like to learn more about how you can take mobile filmmaking training on your next short-term trip, we would love to connect with you. Click here to learn more!