- Photo courtesy: Francisco Alcala Torreslanda
When stories from the African continent reach global audiences, they often arrive filtered through a lens of crisis — famine, war, poverty. Humanitarian campaigns lean heavily on sorrow, hoping to move hearts through pity. But there is another kind of story being told — one that doesn’t ask for sympathy, but demands recognition, dignity, and power.
HOME Storytellers, a nonprofit led by a father–daughter duo, is reshaping that narrative. Their documentaries don’t dwell on despair — they spotlight resilience. They tell stories of people on the margins who, despite immense odds, create, lead, and rise. Their storytelling isn’t charity. It’s justice.
Their first film on African soil, We Name Ourselves, takes us deep into the heart of Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi. Once a high-security prison built for 10,000, it now holds over 53,000 refugees, many of whom have fled war, persecution, and political violence from countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda.
Dzaleka is overcrowded and under-resourced. But it is not silent.
In its dusty courtyards and narrow alleyways, a vibrant community of young poets is using spoken word as survival. With few resources but boundless imagination, they craft verses that echo far beyond the camp’s wire fences.
For Charles Lipanda, poetry began as a way to grieve the loss of his parents. Over time, it became something more — a way to guide younger children through their own storms. He runs poetry workshops and open mics, where kids are encouraged to speak their truths. Through this, Charles has become a mentor, an anchor, a living example of how creativity can soften grief and sharpen hope.
Then there’s Espoir Kahitani, whose performances feel like earthquakes. Every word, every breath, every gesture — it all pulses with purpose. For Espoir, poetry is an act of resistance. “The world doesn’t see us,” he says. “So we raise our voices until it does.”
Their words crescendo each year at the Tumaini Festival, a cultural explosion where refugees and local artists come together in celebration. For a few radiant days, Dzaleka becomes a stage — not a symbol of displacement, but a canvas of expression. It’s a chance to be seen not as victims, but as artists, as change-makers, as human beings with names, stories, and dreams.
The film’s title, We Name Ourselves, is not metaphorical. It is a declaration.
In a world that often strips displaced people of their identities — reducing them to case numbers, to statistics — this film insists that they be known on their own terms. These young voices are not waiting to be saved. They are already shaping their future with ink-stained fingers and blistered microphones.
Currently in post-production and set to be completed in September 2025, the film is just one part of a broader vision. HOME Storytellers is also launching an impact campaign to support education, mental health care, and artistic livelihoods within Dzaleka. It’s not about parachuting in with temporary aid — it’s about long-term, community-led change rooted in dignity and creativity.
By choosing to center joy, courage, and self-expression, We Name Ourselves is a radical act. It asks us to reimagine what it means to help — not by speaking for others, but by listening to what they are already saying.
These are not stories of loss. They are stories of survival. And more importantly — of becoming.
To follow the journey and support the campaign, visit WeNameOurselves.com or follow, IG: @wenameourselves, FB: We Name Ourselves across social media.
