It’s so beautiful to behold beauty in what otherwise should be considered a dying period of sorts; when all the leaves start that gradual transition of falling off the trees to give way to the bitter cold of the winter season. But for now, I will enjoy the flaming yellows and oranges and stand reminded of the fleetingness of life and the grace with which beauty flirts with our visual senses, even if its just for a moment in time.

When I first arrived in the US, late in the Fall of 1996, I was overwhelmed with the colors I had previously associated with plant disease and wilting. In Uganda we really don’t have seasons the way they are so clearly demarcated here in the US. Uganda straddles the Equator, which means that even if the Earth tilts on its axis, we experience just a slight change in weather compared to others living in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

I was convinced for a minute that all the trees had suffered some sort of disease and were dying, except of course for the evergreens. Now I look around and just simply enjoy the Fall season without feeling startled and anxious that the leaves will not come back again.

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I am humbled and honored to have been selected and added as a Jury member to the World Bank’s Global Connect 4 Climate campaign and photo competition.

Connect4Climate (C4C) is a campaign, a competition, and a community that cares about climate change. The goal of C4C is to raise awareness about climate change issues around the world, with an initial focus on Africa. With the help of our broad coalition of partners, both big and small, we are kickstarting an interactive dialogue on climate change issues amongst African youth and global social media users. With roughly 70% of Africa’s total population under 30, the Connect4Climate campaign will tap the rich potential of African’s youth as powerful agents of social change.

The Competition: In the run-up to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 17) in Durban, South Africa this December, Connect4Climate is launching a photo and video challenge on climate change targeted to African youth in collaboration with Facebook. African youth from the ages of 13 to 30 are invited to share their personal climate change stories around six themes:

• Agriculture
• Energy
• Forests
• Gender
• Health
• Water

Through photos and short videos, young Africans will tell us how climate change is affecting their lives, families, communities and environments. If they have innovative ideas for local solutions, we hope to see and hear these stories, too! The best entries will receive prizes at a high-profile award ceremony and will be exhibited at COP17 in Durban.  World leaders and prominent climate change thinkers will get a chance to look, listen, and learn about these climate stories generated by African youth.

You can upload your photos or videos through our Facebook page by clicking “Enter Competition.” You can also send your photos and videos via email to c4cphotovideo@worldbank.org. Be sure to include your name, date of birth, title and caption of your photo or video, and where your photo or video was taken.

Deadline
November 15, 2011

Eligibility
Young people from around the world with a focus on African youth- ages 13-17, 18-24, and 25-30

Prizes
Over 60 prizes will be awarded, including cameras, mobile phones, computer tablets and solar backpacks. Winning entries will be exhibited at the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP17) in Durban, South Africa, this December. World leaders and prominent climate change thinkers will get a chance to look, listen, and learn about these climate stories generated by African youth from around the continent.

The Community
with an ever-growing list of knowledge partners, Connect4Climate aims to act as a convener of all parties with an interest in raising awareness about climate change issues and participating in an interactive, global dialogue on climate change. Our partners include international organizations, social media networks, UN agencies, NGOs, academia, civil society, private sector, public sector, and youth organizations.

Join us!
facebook.com/connect4climate
twitter.com/connect4climate

Want to become a partner? Email: connect4climate@worldbank.org

Animated Car rendered in 3DS Max, using a Custom X-Ray multi material for the textures of the vehicle. This animation was rendered using the Native Scanline renderer in 3DS Max.

Here are some still renders from the Animation:

Last year I traveled to Kigali, Rwanda, for the first time to present the Galiwango film to the Rwandese Wildlife and Conservation team, the IGCP and the Greater Virunga Transboundary Secretariat.

The meetings were awesome and I met women and men who are totally dedicated to the conservation of the last remaining mountain gorillas. It was a great experience and I was blessed from listening to them share their wealth of knowledge and years of experience from the conservation effort.

Here are some memories from my 4 day trip to Kigali, November of Last year, 2010. I was graciously welcomed by Rica Rwigamba, the head of Tourism and Wildlife in Rwanda.

It was great meeting another young person so passionate about the conservation of endangered wildlife and the hard work done by the game rangers.

I was introduced to her by my good friend and former classmate from the days of Budo, Frank Twagira. His wife welcomed us into their home with love. I made the trip with Hazel Collett, a family friend and a JJ Uganda Ministry Leader (JJ Nsumi is a school for Orphans in Bushyenyi, she heads the ministry).

Kigali is rapidly expanding and the skyline is beautiful. I was really impressed by the cleanliness of the city and the efficiency of the work at the RDB. Everything that you could possibly need to register a business, is located in that one building.

I met with several team members of the IGCP in Kigali at their office not too far from the RDB (Rwanda Development Board) building. Rwanda is doing a great job of sensitizing the youth to the work of conserving the endangered wildlife. It was really cool to hear the stories of students participating in mountain gorilla tracking trips. We definitely need to reach out to the younger generation, we are the consumers and leaders of tomorrow afterall.

CinemAfrica ~ African Film Festival | Sweden | I am excited and a little overwhelmed at the same time. I am desperately trying to clean my plate of all the pending projects so I can have a full 2 months worth of work and rendering in preparation for the Festival.

Looking back at 2010, I have to say thank you!! Thank you to my family and friends who supported me and stuck by me even with all my outlandish dreams. I want to thank all those that have made this journey of making the Galiwango Film, such an incredible experience. My heart and gratitude goes out to all the UWA family, the IGCP team and the Greater Virunga Transboundary Secretariat. I look forward to a better tomorrow. Happy New Year to you all.

Galiwango, Obulamu Bw’ekisodde | A Luganda Animated Mountain Gorilla Conservation Film | www.galiwango.com | Here are some video captures of my time out west in San Francisco at the Mixamo Studios doing motioncapture sessions for the Galiwango film. Had lots of fun. I did fall asleep on the train though and ended up in San Jose!!

For Game Developers Conference 2011 | Video and Still Shots from a 3D animated short film I created in partnership with Mixamo Studios. It’s a futuristic setting with a team of soldiers fighting against Mech Style Robots. I had lots of fun with this one. I used motionbuilder, 3DS Max, Vue xStream and AE. To learn more about Mixamo Studios, check out their services at http://www.mixamo.com