In collaboration with Norris Square Neighborhood Project, Villa Africana Colobo Garden will be an Immersive VR Documentary and Community Media project. It will consist of web-based Virtual Tours, where viewers can explore the six urban gardens in the West Kensington neighborhood in North Philadelphia and the oral histories of the Latinx community that lives here. The process will include intergenerational media workshops in which long term residents will receive media training and create connections with each other.
Years of community effort by area residents have transformed Norris Square from an abandoned, drug infested area, into a green and vibrant neighborhood - a place where the soul and spirit of Puerto Rico blooms in Philadelphia. Through music, poetry, food and dance, the project will document the urban gardens that celebrate African roots and African heritage in Puerto Rico, the U.S. and Africa. We will hear stories of migration, color prejudice and reclaiming heritage. By sharing these stories, the project will build bridges across generations and across cultures.
Director
Director