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4REAL highlights what's working

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Life was good for Sol Guy. As a Vancouver hip-hop producer, artist manager, owner-manager of his own indie label and international director for Arista Records in New York, Guy was used to glad-handing with urban icons like Lauryn Hill, P. Diddy, India Arie, k-os, Outkast and Kardinal Offishall.

And then he went to the small, war-torn West African country of Sierra Leone in 2000 with the Vancouver rap group the Rascalz, to make a MuchMusic documentary with the advocacy group War Child Canada.

"I understood a little about what had happened there going in," Guy says now, "but I had no idea. We met child soldiers, we met people whose lives had been completely destroyed. The tragedy was evident everywhere you looked, but what affected me just as much, if not more, was the beauty of the place, and the pride of the people who remained, who were working so hard to make a difference.

"I can't sit here today and tell you that I had an epiphany, but I can tell you that it made me re-evaluate my life and the things that were important to me."

4REAL, an eight-part documentary-travel series in which Guy accompanies celebrities like Mos Def and Joaquin Phoenix to far-flung corners of the world to meet local heroes -- ordinary, everyday people striving to make a difference in some of the most neglected regions of the world -- has been translated into 66 different languages and is about to be seen in nearly 200 countries. 4REAL was produced by MTV Canada, in association with CTV, and will air on numerous National Geographic channels around the world. Guy himself recently won the National Geographic Emerging Explorers Award.

None of that matters, Guy says, compared to the tales of quiet inspiration and courage he found in places like Haiti and even in his own hometown, on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

The celebrities -- Phoenix in the Amazon, Mos Def in Rio de Janeiro's City of God, hip-hop artist K'naan in Kibera township in Nairobi, Kenya, among others -- are just a way in for the viewer more familiar with the Red Hot Chili Peppers than countries where chili peppers are actually grown.

The real heroes in 4REAL are local activists, such as children's rights advocate Kimmie Weeks in Liberia, subject of the April 21 show with musician M.I.A., and rural health adviser Camseuze Moise, subject of the April 28 show in Haiti with Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

"On a visceral and emotional level, I'm hoping this show really gives (viewers) a chance to get out of their comfort zone," Guy said. "You can learn so much about yourself and your own culture by going to a different culture and different country, and going there without preconceived ideas or notions about what you think you already know."

The difference between 4REAL and the nightly news, Guy says, is that 4REAL focuses on success stories. Small-scale success stories, true, but success stories just the same.

"These are stories about things that are working, as opposed to being constantly told about what's wrong, what isn't working. It's all about expanding our horizons. You can't separate yourself from the problem or the solution; we're all a part of it. We're all going to inherit this world. I don't want this to sound overly idealistic, but we have a responsibility to do the best we can, to be aware of our impact on the globe."

Guy insisted that the celebrities in 4REAL travel without an entourage, and without the creature comforts of home. They knew going in that they wouldn't be pampered or kowtowed to.

"We weren't going anywhere to save anybody from anything. We were there to learn. I'm a celebrity, I'm someone who makes television. What do I know about the Amazon? I don't know anything, except that it's an important place and it has relevance to our planet. But Tashka Yawanawa knows everything there is to know, and he's on the front lines of saving this part of the world that's important to all of us."

Guy makes no apologies for tying celebrities to his tales of unsung local heroes.

"We live in a society that, for whatever reason, celebrity culture has become pervasive. It was always there in pop culture, but in the last five years it has gone berserk. It has more impact and more significance than ever before.

"We can talk for hours about the reasons why, but my thinking was, how can I get the most people to learn about my friend Puma Singona in Peru, who's an amazing young medicine man with thousands of years of knowledge, and put him in a context relevant to young people today? Josh (Thome) and I realized that by bringing these celebrities, it would bring eyeballs.

"We did a lot of things to not make it about Cameron Diaz. You might tune in for Cameron, but my hope is that you'll love Puma in the end."

4REAL upcoming programs:

- April 21 -- 4REAL Liberia

Sol Guy and musician M.I.A. explore post-war Liberia, with local child advocate Kimmie Weeks, who is helping young people remake their lives.

- April 28 -- 4REAL Haiti

Flea, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, accompanies Guy to Haiti, where they meet rural health agent Camseuze Moise, who travels between villages, helping people educate and empower themselves.

- May 5 -- 4REAL Yawanawa

Joaquin Phoenix and Guy venture into the Amazon rainforest, where local advocates Tashka and Laura Yawanawa are determined to preserve local culture.

- May 13 -- 4REAL Pawnee

Casey Affleck accompanies Guy to the Pawnee Nation reservation of Oklahoma, where they profile the Native NVision arts group, which is using film, hip hop and performance art to reach out to aboriginal youth.

- May 19 -- 4REAL City of God

Guy and rapper Mos Def immerse themselves in the culture of City of God, the notorious slum in Rio de Janeiro, where Brazilian rap artist MV Bill is trying to inspire local people with his music and message of empowerment.

- May 26 -- 4REAL Kenya

Hip hop artist K'naan and Guy venture into the Nairobi township of Kibera, scene of recent political troubles, where they meet Salim Mohamed, a local activist who runs a medical clinic and supervises a community development soccer program for more than 3,000 disadvantaged children.

- June 9 -- 4REAL Vancouver

Guy and film actress Eva Mendes spend time in the Downtown Eastside in Guy's hometown, where they profile community leader Liz Evans and the Portland Hotel Society.

4REAL airs Mondays on MTV Canada at 8 ET/5 PT.