In April 2010, Makilero Van Ferrier visited Mejoda Colectivo - a video cooperative bringing multimedia tools and training to youth in neighbourhoods in Cali, Colombia. Mejoda shares office space with la Casa Occio – an independent media centre that runs a live-stream video channel here.

Casa Occio in Cali, Colombia

Van accompanied Mejoda to Mojica – one of Cali’s East-side barrios along with Pablo P from Monterrey, Mexico who gave a photography workshop to youth enrolled in Mejoa’s “Otra Ciudades” program. The goal of the program is to expose young people to audiovisual art and socially-engaging multimedia from different cities around the world.

Mejoda crew conducting video recording workshop

The group also met up with local sound engineer MPCruz who invited them into his recording studio where Zenxiboh – a local hip-hop duo performed this serenata..

Mejoda is blazing a new trail of independent and community-based media production in Colombia, taking new media tools to people who otherwise would not have access to them and achieving fantastic results. In 2008, Mejoda organized the first National Community Film and Video Festival - the first of its kind in Colombia.

To learn more about Mejoda, check out their website and their videos at

http://colectivomejoda.blogspot.com/