Sad news from Miono, Juma Nasoro Malema – aka the snake/njoka man of Miono, and possibly the hardest person I’ve met – has died. His reputation as a man who could calm and catch snakes, and treat those with snake bites extended beyond Miono to most of Tanzania. People in Miono tell me he was … More RIP Snake/Njoka Man

What is not to love about Sheffield? Birthplace of Jarvis, a city in the countryside, and a university full of people I like. Now this great city has another bonus – it’s exhibiting the first showing of photographs from Pili from the 27th – 29th April as part of the Art, Expression, and Democracy seminar … More Get thee to Sheffield! Exhibition time ‘Pili and the Left Ones’ 27th – 29th April

After 6 weeks of government bureaucracy, a near-miss in a ravine, bucket showers, a LOT of rice and beans, a funeral, malaria, kidney stones, dust everywhere, the odd diva episode,  hundreds of consent forms for extras, one case of extortion, and a run in with police at the airport (props to the Dar airport police … More Wrapped!

UPDATE:  For the last five weeks I have been thinking what to do about this blog post, as the Charles described here, in his own words, showed another of his faces which was altogether less jovial and pleasant than the face described below. I decided therefore to leave this post as it is but add … More (Former Assistant Director) Charles

Here is what I have learned so far about being a film producer: 1. Get a recommended fixer on the case early on, especially when making a film in another country. You may follow all the formal procedure correctly, pay up your fees etc, but they know the informal politics and how things get done … More 15 things I have learned about making a film

Last week I took part in a panel on civil-military co-operation in the 2014 Ebola response (more info and the podcast where I make up a new word can be found here), where the head of the National Ebola Response Centre in Sierra Leone, OB Sisay, resisted any notion that the Ebola response had been … More Pili: threat to international security?

Over ten years ago I was doing some teaching assistant work at the University of Manchester to get some extra cash while doing my PhD. This involved running seminars on the politics of globalisation. As anyone knows when you first start working as a teaching assistant the trick is to just know a little bit … More Currency Wars

While I spend time fretting over insurance and budgets, Director Leanne and Cinematographer Craig have been drawing stick people and wheels on post it notes. And adding $$ signs to the screenplay to send me into budget-control overdrive. Note ‘DRONE?’ er, a drone? $$$$$!!!!! For anyone who spent their school years doodling on your homework … More Storyboarding

Walking into research receptions when you don’t know anyone and have a film to shout about is always nerve-wracking, fortunately for me my old friend Jamie had also been invited to the Axa Research Fund do in Westminster last night. This meant I not only got to catch up with a good pal over canapés … More Pili goes to Westminster

  Squeaky bum time continues this week in pre-production planning. It has been another trying week with new obstacles cropping up, but these obstacles have been met with a solutions-orientated crew, committed people in Tanzania, a great support system at Queen Mary (with research manager and administration Director getting their heads around all sorts of … More Squeaky Bum Time, Swahiliwood and Shuga