MTV’s “Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro” documentary airs on MTV on Sunday, March 14 at 9pm ET/PT.
MTV will scale the highest altitudes on earth and show fans a never-before seen side of today’s most influential artists and activists in a 90-minute documentary to raise awareness of the global clean water crisis.
Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro, airing on March 14 at 9pm ET/PT, will present the expedition and the dramatic final ascent of Grammy-nominated musician, philanthropist, and “actionist” Kenna, the mastermind behind the expedition, along with a group of his friends, including Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch, Lupe Fiasco, Santigold, Isabel Lucas, Elizabeth Gore, Alexandra Cousteau, Kick Kennedy and more as they attempt to reach the top of Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro.
“MTV has a long history of educating its audience to raise awareness on issues that are important to them. More than 1 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. By airing this documentary, MTV hopes to mobilize a new generation of young people who may not be aware of this global cause and take action to get involved in helping find solutions to the water crisis,” said Dave Sirulnick, Executive Vice President MTV Multiplatform, News and Docs.
The event will give viewers a rare look at some of major cultural influencers as they push their bodies and minds to the limit to raise awareness of this critical, global issue.
Each participant battled numerous physical and natural elements over the arduous journey from coping with intense weather conditions including rain, hail, and snow to the effects of increased altitude, including headaches, dizziness and fatigue, among other ailments.
The documentary will also showcase the group spending time in local communities and a UNHCR refugee camp learning how the water issue affects the everyday lives of the people in this part of the world.
The documentary was filmed in January 2010.
For Kenna, the vision behind “Kilimanjaro” has personal meaning as his father was deeply affected by water-borne illness as a child in Ethiopia.
Said Kenna: “When I was younger, my dad pointed out Kilimanjaro on a huge atlas. It stood in my mind as one of the wonders of the world. This climb is dedicated to my father. As a child in Ethiopia, he lost his brother and lost his friends and family to water borne diseases. A billion people in the world don’t have clean water. I had to do something about it. For me it’s personal. I could have been one of those kids. I needed to come up with something that would command attention. And the only thing I could think of that was that massive was climbing Kilimanjaro.”
The climb helped to raise awareness of the global clean water crisis, as well as raise funds for P&G’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and Water For People’s PlayPumps Technology.
Participants in the “Kilimanjaro” summit include:
* Kenna, Grammy-Nominated musician, philanthropist, actionist
* Jessica Biel, Actress
* Lupe Fiasco, Grammy Award Winning Musician
* Isabel Lucas, Actress
* Santigold, Musician
* Emile Hirsch, Actor
* Alexandra Cousteau, National Geographic Emerging Explorer and grand-daughter of famed explorer and filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau
* Elizabeth Gore, Executive Director for Global Partnerships for the United Nations Foundation
* Simon Isaacs, International Development and Water Expert,
* Michael Muller, Award Winning Photographer
* Jimmy Chin, Award Winning Photographer
* Kick Kennedy, Environmental Activist and Granddaughter of Robert Kennedy,
* Bernise Ang, Social Entrepreneur and Recipient of the YouthActionNet Award & Fellowship from the International Youth Foundation
* Dr. Greg Allgood, Director of the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program at Procter & Gamble
* Melissa Arnot, Mountaineering Expert
* Jason Walsh, Renowned Trainer and Movement Specialist
Source: Monsters and Critics
