My life in Media Village Nigeria was the guide to life


One of the aspects that actually helped my life in Media Village Nigeria is the guide to life. “A guide to life because of the spiritual message that we received. There's nothing we do that does not have a connection with spirituality, with Christian values and those principles actually serve as a guide to our lives, especially me in person. It was a guide to my life. And because of that, it guided my skills in storytelling, and filmmaking. I learn to have values and principles that should govern the stories I tell. That really helped my skills to develop and be refined in a perspective that is credible.”

HOW I GOT TO KNOW ABOUT MEDIA VILLAGE

What actually brought Mr Ezekiel Bok to Media Village Nigeria first was the school of ‘Video Production’ that was in 2007. “My search for a place to learn or study, started in 2006.” He went to a film institute, which is the Nigerian film institute, and then went to NTA college Jos, all those places in search for the school to apply. then “I was directed to media village Nigeria That was 2006. As I went there, they did an orientation for me to understand what media village believes in, what they do and their vision.” He later on did the School of Strategic Communication, and attended a 3D Animation Workshop that was in 2008.

He said all the things he is doing today; that’s filmmaking, teaching, and all of the media inclined skills, media village Nigeria was the foundation of these skills.

One of the significate thing Mr Ezekiel loved was the fact that you meet diverse people, internationally. “I remember in my Video Production school, we had lecturers from Germany, South Africa, Zambia and also Nigerians within and outside Jos. We had also students from other countries.” The connection generally actually is one of the experiences that give one a wider mindset not to be limited within your own jurisdiction. He altered “the universe is as huge as you can imagine and you are not limited in one place. That means I should dream big!”

When he arrived, “I met Janet and Anne at the base they were so hospitable; they took me round the base introducing me to everyone that was around.” Mrs Anne and Miss Janet told him he needs to do a DTS before he can enrol the Video Production School.

“They just planned it in such a way that, oh, you should go to Kaduna and do your DTS” so that he can meet up with the Video production School which was coming in April 2007. They told him the school fees “and I was like, wow, I need money! And at that time, I was not having enough money.”

 when he was about to leave, Mrs Anne Abok just said, let's pray. “And if I can remember vividly, she said something. She said, we do pray like this in a simple way, just some words. And somehow, somehow, God walked miracles and she just said the prayer.” We live by faith and not by sight.

He left, and now thought, how will he raise the DTS school fees? But when he left, he said

how he started his DTS was a miracle. “How I raised the school fees was indeed a miracle!” These two amazing persons he mentioned that their push actually was so significant in his life.

THE UNIQUE THING ABOUT MEDIA VILLAGE NIGERIA

The most unique thing is, the spiritual context and the practical skills that they offer. Which their aim and objective is that every student may become excellent. This makes them stand out.

Finally, Mr Ezekiel Bok works with the Jos Film Initiative. “What I do, presently, is teach the art of filmmaking or video production.”

Which all programs and trainings, are given free to young people. The point and shoot training workshop. It's a free training that is offered yearly. Teaching them: photography, screen writing, and the likes. “It has been my long-time dream since even before I joined Media Village for my studies.

And at the Jos Film initiative as well, they run a film festival, which specifically is called the Rock International Film Festival, that focuses on human rights; creating awareness on human rights.