HOREA GHEORGHE TRIFU BRINGS NEW LIFE TO TORONTO PICTURES’ VISION FOR A SMALL AFRICAN VILLAGE

Vision for a Village - May/November 2006 Issue

Second Issue (P. 63)

By Jane Delson

With the fictional exception of Bialystock & Bloom, all entertainment producers – whether for live theatricals, major music labels, established film studios or single-film "indies" – share one common objective: Profitability. Toronto Pictures is no exception to the rule. But that is where the commonality ends.

In 2004, when the Canadian-based film production company first elected to develop its current feature film, Punctured Hope, it made mission-driven decisions that would affect the film’s ultimate profitability right from the start, and there has been no looking back.

The film profiles the difficult subject of trokosi, the on-going sexual mutilation and enslavement of Ghana’s young girls and women.

The entire production is the result of Toronto Pictures’ full-fledged involvement with and commitment to the talent it found resident in Accra, Ghana’s capital city, and in the Kpobikofe Village, which is located about 40 kilometres from the capital.

The village has a population of about 4,000 people, whose origins derive from the EWE speaking tribes residing in the Volta Region. Although it is relatively close to Accra, its social and technological development, resembles a snapshot illustrating an interminable moment frozen in time.

The fundamental resources for subsistence are agriculture and fishing. However, agrarian output here is minimal and the movement of perishable goods to the market areas that must be carried out over unpaved roads, is often rendered impossible when heavy rains dilapidate the roadways. This hardship also poses an obstacle for fishing, since there are no rivers in Kpobikofe and the closest viable fishing locations are about 20 kilometers away.

There are, unfortunately, various social aspects that require change in the village. Poverty, malnourishment among infants and children, high Infant mortality and the presence of voodoo practice and fetishism represent some of the challenges. Health care, as we know it, is virtually non-existent. Education is secondary to survival, rendering a primary or elemental education all that parents can offer their children.

Existence for the residents of Kpobikofe is bleak, to say the least, and hope for a better way of life has been a foreign concept…until Toronto Pictures decided to make a movie in their village.

Under the direction of Bruno Pischiutta, the film was successfully shot in Kpobikofe, and its residents were informed that 10% of the film’s eventual net proceeds would serve to fund a Foundation to aid in the development of their community’s technical infrastructure. Plans are currently underway to begin Phase I of what Pischiutta sees as years of on-going assistance.

"We did not come to Ghana with the intent of filming Punctured Hope and simply leaving this village, once it had served our purposes. Instead, we became enamoured of the wonderful people we met and touched by their passion to help us in every way possible. The Foundation that is being established will ensure an on-going relationship between Toronto Pictures and the village of Kpobikofe in the years to come, and we expect it will yield rich rewards," asserts Pischiutta.

That is precisely where Horea Gheorghe Trifu, enters the picture. An electromechanical engineer – Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario, Canada, Mr. Trifu was educated in his native Romania’s Transilvania University in Brasov. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, he went on to earn a Master’s Degree in the field and later served as a Professor of Electrical Engineering on the University’s distinguished faculty.

Trifu has patented inventions in both the U.S. and in Romania. His experience and expertise in the areas most critical to Kpobikofe’s future development gave immediacy to Pischiutta’s wish to fund projects that would provide a better quality of life for the Ghanaians he and Ms. Trifu had come to respect through their experience in filming Punctured Hope.

When I spoke with Trifu in mid-January, he expressed his eagerness to concretize the desire of helping people in need, which has been a consistent goal throughout his life. The aspects of this particular project that most interest him, are the possibility of providing humanitarian aid to children, who are an always vulnerable group in society. "Providing the means of improving the quality of their life, thereby positively changing their future, is a crucial component in acknowledging and stressing the importance of valuing humanity", he states. In addition, he feels that this project is a tangible statement of recognition for the local people’s support during the filming of Punctured Hope in the village. He outlined that this project represents a part of the foundation’s goals and its design consists of three phases.

The issues he feels are most critical to Kpobikofe’s future development, are to be addressed during phase I of the community development program. "The absence of clean, safe drinking water is foremost among the many problems currently facing the village. It’s our primary concern, because unsafe drinking water adversely affects community health as a whole, and it is particularly threatening to the population’s infants and children", Trifu states.

With no running water available through a traditional piping system, residents must carry water for both themselves and their animals from a tainted stream. Impurities in the water cause frequent gastrointestinal illnesses, many of which can be life-threatening among the youngest residents. "We are faced with two options in addressing this problem," Trifu explains. "We can either create a filtration system whereby local water is purified for consumption, or we can drill wells and utilize pumps to bring ground water to the surface. Based on our current research, we believe there is a steady source of clean water not more than seven to eight metres underground. This makes the substrate a reliable source…and because the water is relatively close to the surface, a network of wells and pumps should optimally supply the village’s needs, human and animal alike."

The provision of electricity is the tandem component of phase II. Creating a dependable supply of elecricity will not only power the pumps that will bring well water to the surface, but it will enable residents to light their homes, utilize basic small appliances for refrigeration and ventilation and take advantage of small power tools to improve and secure their housing.

"There are essentially three options for us to evaluate relative to creating a power source for Kpobikofe: generating wind power; building a small diesel-powered plant capable of generating approximately 300 kilowatts; or devising a connection to the national power distribution system in the outskirts of Accra." he states.

"We remain uncertain precisely how far out of Accra-proper the national power lines extend. If we are lucky, and they are within four or five kilmoetres, we may be able to make a viable connection. But presently, we are inclined to view the construction of a small diesel-powered plant as the most feasible approach," Trifu explains.

He outlines that phase III of the project, consists of two main factors. "The foundation’s aim is the introduction of healthcare as a basic necessity. It consists of a space equipped with minimal utilities and a permanent nurse, in combination with periodic doctor’s visits, focused on registering all the members of the population in the National Healthcare Program. The second factor involves developing skills through training and education, which will induce the implementation of new techniques for rural construction, agriculture and any other requirements that represent daily necessities as required by the village community."

When asked about the resource logistics planned for realizing this vision, Trifu strongly emphasizes: "We will concentrate on utilizing material and human resources available locally, as much as possible. Any materials and equipment that are not locally available, will be obtained from anywhere in the world, possibly Romania (Eastern Europe), due to the economical savings it represents, as well as its facilitation of purchasing and delivery. Qualified personnel from Romania will educate and train residents on equipment maintenance, so that long after we have left, the residents will be able to maintain the systems and equipment that will be left in their possession." Trifu further explained that Romanian personnel is more adequate to carry out this task, since they are more likely to identify with the village needs, as a result of their own use of basic tools and long proven practices. In fact, a range of old fashioned carpenters, farmers and construction workers will be employed for the project. "We are planning to use very basic building methods, materials and tools in this third phase of development, because we do not wish to introduce unnecessarily complicated or technologically sophisticated systems that would prove to be beyond the skills of Kpobikofe’s population to maintain, after we leave." Trifu confirms.

Toronto Pictures has plans to produce a second film in Ghana, 10% of the proceeds of which will also go to fund the established Foundation. "We want to utilize our films to enhance global awareness about West African issues, and more than that, we want to give something back to the local population that is helping us achieve that goal; they deserve to realize a better quality of life," she concludes.

"I’m honoured to be able to help these exceptional people who have played such an integral role – both literally and figuratively – in the making of Punctured Hope. Theirs is a remarkable culture we seek only to enhance, not modify or violate in any inappropriate manner. By offering them the amenities of more developed communities within their own country, we know their lives will be greatly improved without our cultural intrusion. It’s a project in which I’m proud to participate."D

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