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My time spent in Kakuma Refugee Camp was life changing. I lived both ends of the emotional spectrum. I felt inspired as I met people that had overcome the impossible, but I also felt heartbreak as I heard the atrocities they had lived through.

In the sea of these emotions, my partner Topaz Adizes and I decided to make a music video. We grabbed our camera; two bounce boards and my iPhone and went into the camp. As soon as we got to Juba (a Sudanese community where we shot the video) we were greeted with open arms and lots of smiles.

I am so proud of this music video because the people shine with beauty, joy and dignity. It’s magical because their light is bright and it envelops everyone that sees it. 

As soon as the band The Joy Formidable saw it, they fell in love with it. They said we had made them a gift. I hope you feel the same when you watch it. 

Paola Mendoza

Colombian born, Paola Mendoza is an award winning filmmaker and writer. Her first novel, THE ONES WHO DON'T STAY, will be published in 2013 by Penguin Books. She lives in Brooklyn.