Name: Kel O’Neill
Location: New York, United States of America
The reports from New York are co-produced by Eline Jongsma.
What is your favorite Metropolis item? Why so?
I really like Stef’s “Hunting for Corpses with Calulo” and Huang’s “The Hooters Girls of Beijing.” The Calulo film is a shot of adrenaline, while the Hooter’s piece succeeds both as a piece of reportage and as a laid-back satire of American culture.
What kind of image do you want to present of your country?
Every person in the world already believes that they are an expert on American culture, and there’s very little that I can do to change that. I understand why people abroad think they know so much about my country: the US has made a concerted effort to involve itself in the world at large for as long as I’ve been alive, and our chief exports (Coca-Cola, Hollywood blockbusters and illegal wars) are of increasingly dubious quality. If Eline and I have any goal with our Metropolis films, it is to remind people that there are actual PEOPLE living in this country.
Which of your fellow countrymen should the world really know about? Why?
You already know our celebrities and politicians, so I’d suggest meeting people outside of the spotlight.
What will you be doing in 10 years time?
Hopefully the same things I’m doing now, albeit on a larger scale.
What is your favorite television show in your country? What is it about and why is it so great?
I say “The Wire.” David Simon set out to make a televised novel about the decline of the American city and succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations.
Eline says “Generation Kill” (also by David Simon) because, in her words “it’s awesome.”
Also, we both like “First Person” by Errol Morris.
What characteristic of your country would you like to export to other countries?
Our brilliant healthcare system. Unlike Europe, we don’t have death panels. Choice and competition, baby!
What characteristic of your country would you like to get rid of?
The lobbying system is insane. If corporations didn’t have the ability to legally bribe politicians, we might see real changes here.
The thrill of big the city is easily felt on Broadway, or anywhere else in New York for that matter. A metropolis of 8 million people with 150 different nationalities, New York is perhaps the most cosmopolitan city in the world. Because of the many illegal immigrants, it is said that determining statistics for New York is as hard as nailing water to a wall.
Africa is the most rapidly urbanising continent in the world today. And Lusaka is one of the fastest growing cities on the continent. According to the latest statistics the city has 1.2 million inhabitants, their number increasing with an average of a hundred new arrivers every day.
The capital of Colombia lies high in the Andes mountains and is home to more than six million people. Bogotá is notorious for its violence: murders averaged eight a day until recently, but investments in public space, infrastructure, public transportatation, schools and libraries have changed the face of the city. Yet it’s still a city of contrasts, where luxury sports cars drive past mules on busy intersections.
Bogota is one of the most rapidly growing urban areas in South America. The many displaced persons, like Maria, who have fled the violence in their home regions, can be seen living in the streets, begging, and working as street vendors. 98 percent of these people live in poverty and only five percent eventually finds a permanent home.
This major Chinese port has more skyscrapers than New York and twice its population: more than eighteen million people. Parts of the city that were farmland just twenty years ago, have now been annexed by large constructions in the most modern design. Obviously, such a fast growing city with a large port attracts many job seekers from all over China. Most of these are not very educated and sell recycled garbage in the streets or work in the construction of the many tall new buildings dotting the city.
