By Sofia Lamento, Free State Festival Contributor
At Tacos and Trailers night, Free State Festival intern Eddie Haith sat down with Backer Hamada, the developer behind the media marketing strategy for Trauma: The New Epidemic, a documentary centered on orthopedic trauma care in Ethiopia.
Hamada, a KU graduate, credits student media like Futurology and KJHK with helping him develop the skills to tell stories through video.
“Futurology taught me a lot about social media and understanding audiences by making short videos. I was able to apply a lot of that to what I’m doing now with Trauma: The New Epidemic. I actually built a marketing department for the project and grew our TikTok following to around 25,000. That all started with the insight I got from Futurology.”
“KJHK taught me how to work with a large staff of students. It helped me learn how to manage people and collaborate. A lot of my professional connections today came through KJHK, so it was a huge part of my growth.”
He described his first trip to Ethiopia as eye-opening, recalling safety protocols, unfamiliar surroundings, and the kindness of people they met.
“There’s a lot of people who are struggling. But when you see these people like they were all good people. They were just like us, and they just wanted to win a good life. So I think they always could have a helping hand.”
The documentary, which took over two years to produce, is a collaboration between filmmakers and healthcare professionals. One of Hamada’s most powerful takeaways came from witnessing trauma firsthand.
“Millions of people die from trauma, which is more than HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, familiar. And obviously, when I talk about trauma, I don’t mean the kind of trauma that we hear about here in the West, which is, you know, more of the mental side of things, which is very real. But, you know, I’m talking about bone tracking, you know, stuff like that.”
As the team works to expand the short film into a feature, Hamada says his goal is not to push people into action, but to open minds.
“I don’t expect donations unless someone is truly passionate. I just want people to think. Think about how your actions could affect someone halfway across the world. You don’t change minds by telling people they’re wrong. You just show them a new perspective and let them sit with it.”
Watch the full interview with Eddie Haith and Backer Hamada:
Trauma: The New Epidemic screens June 27th at the Free State Festival.
