Eliaichi Kimaro initially went to Tanzania to document her family’s stories and her father’s tribal culture. But when she sat down with her Aunts, she unearthed stories about surviving violence that her Aunts never even shared with each other. By simply bearing witness to her aunts’ truth-telling, Kimaro catalyzed a healing process within her family and her community. The dialogue that began in a hut on Mt Kilimanjaro evolved into a documentary that is transforming the lives of viewers halfway around the world.
Her film journey is the culmination of a lifetime of personal and professional experience exploring how our culture, race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and trauma inform our understanding of who we are and where we belong. She shares how we can creatively express our identity and belonging, evoke the stories we want to tell, and understand why these stories matter.
As Kimaro says, “For people whose narratives have been marginalized, distorted, or eradicated (immigrants, queer folks, women and girls, indigenous people, people of color, survivors of abuse), we often struggle with believing that we have the right to take up space with our story. But we need to cultivate our voice, because truths that are never spoken can never lead to change. Every time we contribute our own stories, we create a more expansive, inclusive portrait of humanity.”
There is something profoundly liberating in seeing aspects of your self and your truth reflected back at you from the page, canvas, or screen. Kimaro shows us the power of understanding and sharing your experiences, and demonstrates how truth telling can be a healing act for individuals and communities.
A LOT LIKE YOU — Official Trailer from alotlikeyou on Vimeo.