Support a Zambian filmmaker

Zambian filmmaker Chansa Tembo has been named a finalist in the U.S. Embassy’s inaugural Democracy Video Challenge online film contest. Mr. Tembo will compete with two other African filmmakers for the chance to win an all-expenses trip to Washington, DC, New York, and Hollywood to represent the continent of Africa in the worldwide contest.

The Democracy Video Challenge is a combined initiative between the U.S. State Department and the on-line video sharing site YouTube. Filmmakers from around the world were asked to submit films that answer the phrase “Democracy is…” Films could not exceed three minutes or use copyrighted material, but there were no other limits to filmmakers’ visions.

Mr. Tembo beat long odds to become a finalist. The contest received more than 900 submissions from 95 countries. Zambia led Africa with nine original entries.

Mr. Tembo’s film, entitled “Democracy is like a smoothie,” shows a variety of fresh fruits being blended together. The film asserts that “democracy is like a smoothie of blended philosophical ideas, ideologies, cultural norms and aesthetic values.”

Winners will be determined by a public vote which is underway now at http://www.youtube.com/democracychallenge. The public can vote for videos by giving them a thumb’s up.