Daughters of the Forest & Taking Root

Hello all!

For those who don't know-  The Voinovich School & Alden Library host a sustainability film series every other Wednesday at 7pm at the Athena grand. I usually attend and wanted to share some of my opinions on a couple films that relate to gender and development! 

Daughters of the forest allowed you to see into the lives of indigenous cultures in Paraguay and show an interesting point of view about their day to day life and their attachment to the forest. It was great to see such a program even existed, but like some key note speakers implied on the panel after the movie, we should not assume that these people are unhappy or in need of what we find useful here in the U.S. Far too often, we see the Western way of thinking to dominate all others. In Narayanaswamy's article (2016) we found truth to this statement when we discussed whose knowledge and feminism counts. This film provided an opportunity to step back and allow people to explain their personal story. I think by going in and first and foremost seeing what those cultures need and what is working already when implementing programs are the ones that will remain the most successful. However, while grassroots programs and organizations such as this show great promise, it would be uplifting to see more effort from the top down. It would've been interesting to see the methods those who started this school used to implement this program.

It was interesting to compare Daughters of the Forest and Taking Root because of their similarities regarding empowerment. In Daughter's we see women’s lives who are potentially changed forever by giving them the opportunity to go to school and teach them planning skills that will aid them in the work force. Both films show how effective nature programs can be not only for the environment, but for people’s well-being. However, while Daughter's of the Forest was a little more uplifting Taking Root explains the controversy that can ensue when power structures are challenged.

In the documentary Taking Root, I learned about Wangari Maathai who held a similar interest in teaching others. Not only did she have interest in community-based tree planting, but she also developed that idea into a grass-roots movement that we know today at the Green Belt Movement. Unfortunately, power relations were a problem for Dr. Maathai then and they remain a struggle today. Power relations are so deeply rooted in our society and in the world, it is hard to imagine that all women are not struggling on some level. However, while all women might have some common ground, there are problems seeded in other cultures that women from the west could not possibly understand (keep in mind the problems associated with the global sisterhood). More emphasis should be placed on locating the specific needs of the culture and giving others the chance to tell their story before policies or aid is implemented.

From my perspective, it seems that resource domination and gender issues are inherently interconnected. When it comes to farming, women still face issues with access and education. This was apparent in Daughters of the Forest when the men ridiculed the women for working in the field. While they have had the opportunity for education, this may not be the case for all. Furthermore, it still seems that women are confined to their own issues, but when analyzing information from a gender and development perspective, the burden to change should not solely rely on the women but should be shared with everyone who inhabits this planet. If we wish to see change or reinvent the wheel, we must all hold the hammer!!