Niger '66: A Peace Corps Diary (2010) [N/A]
Gallery Unavailable
Directed by:
Judy Irola
Release Date:
January 1, 2010
Original Title:
Niger '66: A Peace Corps Diary
Genres:
Documentary
Ratings / Certifications:
N/A
Runtime: 75
In the summer of 1966 a group of 65 idealistic Peace Corps volunteers headed for Africa and landed in the dusty, heat-scorched desert of Niger. They stayed for two years working in agriculture, digging wells and starting health clinics for women and their babies. In 2008 five of them returned to Niger to revisit the country, see old friends, and witness how their work has improved the lives of Nigeriens. And create a documentary of their experiences.
President John F. Kennedy's 1960s-era call for volunteerism was a well-timed mini-revolution in the midst of a burgeoning cultural shift in America. Promising both adventure and grassroots geopolitical action, the Peace Corps offered a channel for young men who wanted nothing of Vietnam and young women who wanted more than the few professional fields offered them. Niger '66 delivers a fascinating first-person account of the inaugural Peace Corps group, many of whom have dedicated their lives to service as a result of their experience. But when filmmaker Judy Irola and members of the first team return to Niger after nearly 40 years, we and they see, first-hand, towns transformed: houses erected, people healthier, child mortality down. With these accomplishments in mind, Obama's renewed push for volunteerism rings with possibilities for us as a nation today.
