ATLANTA – For students at Georgia State University’s Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII), the 2024 study abroad program in Ghana was an unforgettable journey of creativity and cultural discovery. Led by Judiffier Pearson, a lecturer in media entrepreneurship, and filmmaker Douglas Blackmon, the program offered 24 students the chance to work on a professional music video for four-time Grammy-winning artist India.Arie—an experience that blended creative vision with a deep connection to Ghana's rich history.
Pearson’s inspiration for the program was deeply personal. Having spent years traveling to Africa, she wanted to design a study abroad experience that would immerse students in the booming film and music industries of West Africa. “I’ve been traveling to East and West Africa for years, and when I joined CMII, I saw the perfect opportunity to create a program that connected our students to the continent,” Pearson said. After Ghana’s “Year of Return” campaign in 2019 drew worldwide attention to the country, Pearson felt compelled to build a study abroad program centered on film and media production.
India.Arie’s involvement came about organically. Pearson had been following the viral success of India’s a cappella song “Born for This Mission,” which fans online had been remixing with added instrumentals and lyrics. “I thought, ‘This is the project,’” Pearson recalled. She reached out to India.Arie, who is also a CMII Artist-in-Residence, who loved the idea of turning the simple track into a full song, with students creating the music video in Ghana. The project quickly gained momentum, with several Ghanaian stakeholders joining to support the effort like Producer Danny Damah of TD Afrique Films; students from the University of Media, Arts, and Communications (UniMAC); the Ghana Tourism Authority; and the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.
When the students first learned they would be working on a music video for India.Arie, excitement and pressure quickly set in. Many of them had never traveled outside the United States, let alone taken on a project of this scale. "The students were determined to get it right," Pearson said. "They wanted to impress her, but India gave them the freedom to tell their own story." That freedom was crucial, as the students were not just collaborators—they were storytellers, using the historical and cultural backdrop of Ghana to bring the video to life.
“The creative experience in Ghana was a learning curve; yet created a space for my potential to thrive,” stated Daijah Thomasson, the project’s director of photography. “This was my first time ever being a part of a large production and having to exchange point of views with another culture. Creativity is a language within itself, and it raised my awareness on the importance of team building and communication.”
The project took place in the coastal areas of Cape Coast and Elmina, sites that hold significant weight due to their history as centers of the transatlantic slave trade. UNESCO Heritage sites became integral to the video's visual narrative, as students shot footage in St. George’s Castle and Elmina Castle. The stark beauty and horrific past of these locations infused the project with a sense of history that was both powerful and poignant. But as Pearson pointed out, the video was not about revisiting trauma. "One of our students said we needed to go beyond the story of slavery and focus on something more uplifting," she said. This led to conversations about resilience, creativity, and the potential for telling stories that move beyond pain while still honoring the past.
For Blackmon, who served as co-director of the program, the experience was as much about personal growth for the students as it was about completing a professional project. “The students' personal experiences were crucial to this program. Many were African American students from Atlanta, and this was their first trip to Africa. Watching them grapple with their identities and their place in the world was a profound experience,” he said. In addition to overseeing the production, Blackmon also led the filming of a behind-the-scenes documentary that captures the process of making the video and the broader student experience in Ghana. “Sometimes the behind-the-scenes story is even more compelling than the project itself,” Blackmon added.
The program wasn’t without its challenges. With a diverse team of students from both the United States and Ghana, there were moments of tension and differing perspectives. Navigating these dynamics became a learning opportunity for all involved. "There were some surprises—students were more advanced in certain areas and less so in others," Blackmon explained. "We had to figure out how to maximize the strengths within the group, while also asking them to document their own experience."
For the students, this journey was transformative. Many described the experience as "surreal," a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on a project of such importance in a country with such rich cultural significance. "The students learned how to take an idea from concept to reality and gained confidence in their ability to work on a global stage," Pearson shared. And their work resonated deeply with India.Arie. After watching behind-the-scenes footage and a thank-you video the students made, she was moved to tears. She even offered to re-record the song and contribute voiceovers to the final cut of the video. “It was such an honor for the students to receive that kind of feedback from her,” Pearson said.
Looking forward, both Pearson and Blackmon are excited to see how the music video and documentary are received. India.Arie is expected to debut the music video on social media, while the documentary could be entered into film festivals like Sundance. As for future study abroad programs, Pearson is already brainstorming how to top this year’s success. “Every year, the program just gets better. This music video project was a wild idea that took off, and now the bar is raised,” she said.
The application deadline for the 2025 program is February 15, and next year’s study abroad program will run from May 20 through June 2.
About the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII)
The Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) is a leading hub for media arts education and innovation, dedicated to preparing students for careers in the ever-evolving creative and media industries. Through cutting-edge programs, industry partnerships and state-of-the-art facilities, CMII offers a dynamic environment for students to explore their creative potential and pursue their passion for storytelling and media production.