When 28-year old senior Michael Mengech enrolled in a video production course at Bloomfield College, he had more on his mind than shooting music videos or becoming the next big Hollywood director.

Mengech was familiarizing himself with camera techniques and technology so that he could do a cultural preservation project in his village in the Baringo District in Kenya.

“The culture there is disappearing so fast…it’s not written,” said Mengech. “I’m trying to capture and preserve things as I can.”

Armed with a video camera, Mengech traveled back to Kenya last summer where he set out to record the traditions and the culture of his own Kalenjin tribe, which is the fifth largest ethnic group in the country. The tribe holds an annual meeting in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi in mid-July, and Mengech was able to collect much of his information at that day-long gathering.

He recorded the tribe’s dances and music, its war-songs, chants and prayers. He took pictures of traditional art work, clothing, baskets and pots. Most importantly, Mengech began videotaping interviews with tribal elders.

“I learned a lot by talking with the elders,” Mengech said. “It was great that I was able to hear the stories about the culture and what used to happen.”

While Mengech collected a lot of information at the meeting, he also traveled the countryside to speak with elders. Finding tribal members in their 70’s and 80’s, and arranging interviews with them, proved to be quite a challenge.

“I got mixed reactions. Some appreciated the fact that I was concerned about preserving and sharing the history. One elder told me that I had done something great. He really appreciated the fact that I was doing this before the culture disappears,” said Mengech. “Most were positive and happy about the project. A few others wouldn’t talk to me because they thought I was trying to make money.”

Shooting the interviews by himself also proved to be no easy task, especially since Mengech had to set up different camera angles, ask the questions and record all the answers.

Now that he has the raw footage, he says he hopes to take a video editing class at the College and store all the information on a CD. Ultimately, Mengech hopes to write a book based on the research he has gathered during this video project.

“Professors Jeanne Nutter and Sandy Van Dyk have been very helpful along the way and really encouraged me in my work,” said Mengech.

For Mengech, this is not just a school project, however. It is a way to pass along his tribe’s most important traditions for generations to come.

“I feel happy with the information I have collected so far,” said Mengech. “By the time my kids become adults, the traditions will probably not be there anymore, but they will be able to see the pictures and videos, and read about it.”