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EXPLORING GLOBAL PERSpECTIVES
I currently teach a course I authored called Good Question! Exploring Global Perspectives Through Inquiry at the Honors College at UNC Charlotte. In the course, the students explore global artists (of all persuasions) who are also humanitarians and activists—through the art of inquiry. It's magical to watch them discover creative artists, musicians, photographers and scientists from around the world who use their work to help the world.
Throughout my life, as a creative person, my intention has always been to combine artistry with humanitarianism and create work that contributes to the world in a positive way.
Most projects begin by asking a good question.
MALAWI, AFRICA
WATER FIRST: Reaching the MDGs
When I set out to make my first independent documentary, I asked, What's the most important global issue I could address? The answer was water. Water connects to every other major global issue from environmental sustainability to women's rights, equitable health for all to economic development. So I decided to make a film about water called
Water First: Reaching the Millennium Development Goals.
While I was filming in Malawi, Africa in 2004 I also took still photos. Several of these images below were included in a coffee table book called Water Voices from Around The World featuring letters from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and other luminaries and activists who believe everyone in the world should have access to clean safe water. - AH
Water is a Women's Issue
In Malawi, like many developing nations around the world, women and girls were charged with hauling water from distant sources - a low running river, or sometimes just a muddy pit in the ground. They would get up before dawn and often make their last trip at sunset - carrying babies on their backs and water buckets on their heads. These tasks often interrupted school hours - forcing many girls to miss classes and fall behind. If water wasn't a big enough obstacle to studying, when the girls reached puberty, many young girls end up dropping out when they begin menstruating because of the lack of latrines. Water and sanitation is key to empowering girls and women in developing nations.
FRESHWATER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL
After making Water First, my friend Heidi Rickels and I co-founded a non-profit called Freshwater Project International. The organization was inspired by Charles Banda, the subject of the film, who dedicated his life to providing water and sanitation services to the people of Malawi.
NEW ORLEANS 2005 - The Beginning of the Rise of Climate Disasters
New York - In a Day
One summer day in 2014, I got up before dawn and went up to the very tip of Manhattan and walked from the top of Broadway all the way down to the end at the Battery - and took a picture of at least one person on every block along the way. 14 miles was a lot of ground to cover, so for most of the shots I took just one or two frames. I spotted someone interesting, took a picture, and kept moving. It was an amazing time in New York - no masks, no iphones in everyone's hands - it just felt open and transparent. People were just exactly who they were. It was magical, colorful and captivating and very human.
- AH
