A big thank you to Silvia Corsi from Radio Roma, who discussed Cinéma du Desert and Bambini nel Deserto with Luca Iotti at Codeway Expo 2024. We present you with a video report:
Cinema brings together both the young and the old, allowing them to travel through time and making even the most realistic individuals dream. But when cinema becomes the protagonist of stories of change, growth, and—most importantly—hope, then the phrase “lights, camera, action” marks the beginning of an extremely powerful film that crosses all kinds of boundaries. It is precisely these stories full of humanity that are discussed under the Mauritanian tent of Cinéma du Désert, captivating visitors at the Codeway Expo 2024, an event held from May 15 to 17 at the Nuova Fiera di Roma. “We arrive in the villages, set up this gigantic screen, and project films and educational documentaries there,” said Luca Iotti, president of Bambini nel Deserto. “In Africa, we have talked about the environment, female genital mutilation, and what Africa can actually be, the alternative strategy to migration. Africa has enormous potential as a continent, and through our work, we strive to enable people to live with dignity and decency in their own country.” Cinéma du Désert operates thanks to a truck that brings a fundamental tool of communication and awareness, like cinema, to the most remote and unexpected places, all powered by solar energy.
But that’s not all: along with the many members and volunteers of Bambini nel Deserto, an organization that works in all sectors of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Emergencies, they have managed to work in 18 countries over 24 years, striving to bring their own personal change and improvement. “In Burkina Faso, for example, we opened a motorcycle mechanics school over 10 years ago, and every year, out of ten boys who complete the course, seven find jobs in Ouagadougou, in their city, as mechanics,” continued Luca Iotti. “We have another similar project: a carpentry training school in Senegal. We are preparing to open more training schools with a unique feature: right after the course ends, we start a business with the boys who participated in the course to give them continuity. We transform the school into an economic structure that provides jobs for them, their families, and the entire community.”
“The beauty of this work,” Iotti continued, “is the immense satisfaction it gives you, which is truly abundant. Other times, however, there are the extraordinary disappointments it can bring because, naturally, not all doughnuts come out with a hole, and not all cooperation projects succeed. But over the years, we have truly realized that working together with others for others makes us better people. I have definitely changed a lot thanks to international cooperation.”
