Naseeba going to USC's Cinematic Arts Stark School
Hello my name is Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine and I want to introduce you to a remarkable fellow Ugandan. A young woman who may be the first Ugandan to be accepted into USC’s School of Cinematic Arts Peter Stark Producing Program. I’m still awaiting confirmation from USC to see if she is the first. But either way it is a remarkable achievement to be accepted into USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, let alone for a young Ugandan woman. So Naseeba reached out to me to see if I could help in covering some of her tuition costs and I am in turn now reaching out to you to see if you can help get this remarkable young woman at USC this fall. This is an all or nothing campaign. If we don’t raise all the funds she can’t attend. So please spread the word give what you can. Once you hear from her I think you’ll understand how significant this is. So without further adieu I introduce you to Naseeba Bagalaaliwo.
My name is Naseeba Bagalaaliwo, I’m from Uganda and this year I got accepted to the University of Southern California’s Peter Stark Producing Program. I’m excited about the opportunity of attending USC in the fall but right now, I’d like your help to raise the last 49 thousand dollars I need to do that and your contributions to my go fund me page can help get me there. I’m asking for an investment, not just in my education at USC but in seeing more diverse women in key creative roles and creating new spaces for African women that contextualize our experiences and allow us to be leaders in telling our own stories.
After scouring the internet, going through 656 pages and every single one of the more than 1.5 million awards in The Ultimate Scholarship Book looking for the money I need to help me attend USC in the fall, I've come to see that the focus to provide financial assistance is on Africans who want to study STEM subjects. These are noble subjects and important too but this focus also says to Africans, to African women like me and to creative girls, that art doesn’t matter, our passions don’t count and we’re not contributing to society, building our nations and continent unless we’re scientists or computer programmers. But our art does and should matter. People often say, “dare to be the exception”, but I want to dare to make it the norm to see nuanced, authentic, representations of Africa and most especially of African women that are intelligent, complex, interesting and diverse in film and television and for African women to see themselves as film producers, to see film and art and creativity as a career option. and as an educational achievement.
There’s an African proverb that says: Until the lion gets his own storyteller, the tale will always favor the hunter. Growing up I was told, ‘this is Africa, you need a serious degree!’ when I wanted to study film. “Is it an MBA?” I’ve been interrogated when I started looking at graduate programs and that’s because too often in Africa women are taught that getting an education means becoming a lawyer, a doctor an engineer, a business woman not a filmmaker. So, film school doesn’t seem like an option, it never did for me, I talked about it, fantasized about it and always stopped short of applying but that’s something I want to change.
the women in my life, my grandmother, aunts, sisters and most especially my mother inspired me to reach further, work harder and never give up. Those three little words are emblazoned onto the chest of the uniforms of the school they all went to. I heard them every day growing up and they kept me going.
So, if you can, I’d love for you to contribute to my go fund me. Thank You for Your Support.
