Pastor, videographer, and humanitarian, Marshall Geswint, from Humansdorp, has combined two of his greatest passions, filming, and his community, by establishing a Facebook page to uplift the people in his home town.
Geswint has always loved videography, but it was only in 2013, after shooting his first video in the Netherlands, that he decided to venture further into filming.
Since then, he has completed multiple videography short courses to gain the necessary knowledge about filming, while most of the practical aspects of filming he learnt on his own.
To put his videography skills to good use, Geswint created the “Sit vir Humie Oppie Map” Facebook page in September last year and has used the page to upload videos related to Humansdorp.
He said that in the last five years there had been multiple news reports about crime, drugs and gangsterism in Humansdorp and he was determined to change the negative narrative about the area.
“When I started the Facebook page, I pictured a very rough diamond lying in the dirt, ready to be discovered, which is how I see Humansdorp,” said Geswint.
Since starting the Facebook page all his videos, pictures and texts have been inspirational, confrontational, motivational and are centred on giving hope to the community.
Geswint, who is the founder and visionary of Trailblazers Africa, an NPO focused on youth development and transformation in Africa, said the Facebook page was an expansion of his organisation.
He said that part of the mission of the Facebook page was to share uplifting stories and interviews with individuals set on improving their lives.
“I hope that this Facebook page will create awareness about drugs and its dangers, teenage pregnancy and the promoting of purity among young people,” said Geswint.
“This page is a platform used to give young people a vision for their lives through arts, music, business, and career choices.”
Importantly, he said the page was also meant to contribute towards the restoration and correctional process of ex-convicts in the community to hold them accountable to their goal of becoming mature and responsible citizens.
On a lighter note, the page also shared comedy shows and live performances to spread laughter and boost engagement between people in the community.
He said since there were many high school drop-outs in Humansdorp, he used the Facebook page to introduce young people to skills development within the area of videography, film production, photography, scriptwriting, camera handling skills and editing.
As part of his mission to promote entrepreneurship, he also focused on the establishment, support, and education within the area of business development, especially local business start-up ideas and marketing, through the medium of video and photography.
“We record guys doing business, marketing their business, while giving assistance on how to set their business up for possible funding opportunities,” said Geswint.
He said the Facebook page was beneficial for the community as it broadcasted a message of restoration and hope.
“The fact that we feature different stakeholders on the page creates an opportunity for the community to build together towards a spirit of unity and ubuntu,” said Geswint.
“My slogan for the area of videography is very simple: changing the world for the better through the lens of a camera.”
