“Handful of Ash”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHX0oKILGJY
“Handful of Ash” is one of the best and most powerful examples of the potential of storytelling. I have come across throughout my exploration of the role of narrative in anti-FGM campaigns and I believe that it transcends other narrative approaches used by anti-FGM campaigns. “Handful of Ash” is a documentary film that changed the lives of tens of millions of women worldwide and the lives of many women in the Iraqi Kurdistan. This documentary evolved from the work of the two filmmakers and WADI – a German-Iraqi NGO dedicated to eliminating FGM in Iraqi Kurdistan and was an attempt to raise awareness about FGM in Kurdistan (End FGM Kurdistan, 2013). The two filmmakers, Shara Amin and Nabaz Ahmed, started making this documentary in an attempt to investigate the effects of FGM on the Kurdish practicing community but its impact far exceeded its expected results. This film successfully culminated a change in the law after it was shown in the Kurdish parliament and as a result the number of shows that the number of girls being cut has fallen dramatically – in some places more than 60 percent Iraqi Kurdistan. In addition, partly as a result of this worthwhile film alone, the number of girls being genitally mutilated in the villages and towns of Iraqi Kurdistan has fallen by more than half in the last five years.
The narrative approach employed in this documentary is distinct and powerful for many reasons. First, the documentary does not merely describe the practice as a harmful or attack the practicing communities. Second, this documentary is not one sided and it represents the views of both proponents and opponents of the practice. To clarify, this documentary presents the opinions of those in favor of the practice such as those of a religious speaker who told the filmmakers that FGM is a duty and “it is spiritually pure” and a midwife who said that she would still be performing FGM for Islam. Finally, this documentary was a success because it engaged both practicing communities, affected population, and policymakers in an effective dialogue. The policymakers attention was drawn to this documentary because of the fair and honest representation of the stories of the victims. By watching the documentary and by listening to the stories of the victims of FGM policymakers became not only listeners but also storytellers because they took part in the interpretation of the stories. Members of the parliament in Kurdistan established a law banning the practice.
This documentary is relevant to what we learned this semester about the power of storytelling. It is a good example of how storytelling can help highlight differences among women and avoid and overemphasis on similarities between them.
Hi Hanan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post and what a powerful documentary. Watching this (while incredibly difficult) raises some good points. One of which you already mentioned- the power of storytelling. After reading your post I was happy to discover the dialog this created in parliament and while there might not be a way to help the women who were already mutilated at least there is hope that others will not have to experience the same. I appreciate the documentary showed each side of the issue as it really allowed the viewer to make their own opinion. This is especially important when change is the goal of the project.
On another front, this documentary also shows the power in a short-films themselves. I believe shorts are a great way to raise awareness and connect a large audience to issues that require attention. In the future, I believe shorts such as this will be an effective way to create social and political change. I also believe shorts will be an increasingly effective manner to get one’s point across in the media. They invoke emotion and get straight to the point so that others can learn. It opens people’s eyes, like mine, to issues that may seem far away but are important to consider. Although I enjoy documentaries, I find importance in having these short informational films so that they may reach a larger audience and keep people informed and engaged in other parts of the world.
Thank you, Hanan, for this documentary and as Lauren said it shows the power of storytelling and visual communications in development and how we can use technology in advocacy. As another example for storytelling and campaigns that used to change laws recently, ABAAD is a non-profit, civil association that aims to achieve gender equality as an essential condition to sustainable social and economic development in the MENA region.
ReplyDeleteABAAD launched a campaign under the title "A White Dress Doesn't cover the Rape" during the 16 days of Activism to end violence against women, as part of the process of demanding the abolishment of article 522 of the Lebanese Penal Code that would exonerate rapists if they married their victims. And after two months of this campaign and other events, The Lebanese parliament abolished the article from the penal code.
http://www.abaadmena.org/programmes/advocacy-and-policy-development/project-58748b6fa56f85-59472059
https://twitter.com/ajplusarabi/status/898318532932325377
https://www.facebook.com/abaadmena/videos/1299955416729167/
That shows some examples of using visual communications to advocate for women rights.and how it can be beneficial to fight violence against women.
Thank you, Hannan, for sharing this and highlighting the importance of storytelling. Storytelling has been an important tool for sitting norms and social change throughout history. I came across with some readings highlighting this phenomenon, and your post reminded me of them. Dong, (2011) discuss this phenomenon through the story of Mullan, a Chinese female warrior who went to war to stand up for her elderly father and became a hero living through stories to now. Although the story portrayed gender binaries by highlighting the femininity as Mulan becoming a traditional woman after fulfilling her duty as a warrior and her role as a warrior was masculine or she exhibited herself like a male to go to the war, but it also emphasizes the respect she gained from her male counterparts or soldiers for being a heroic character. The book also discusses that the importance of storytelling that can encourage women to be more courageous and cross those lines that traditional norms are sitting to oppress them. Leaving all the negativity about the interpretation of this story aside, converting this story to a Disney movie is another point that speak to the importance of storytelling. At the same time it will also allow the kids to understand the importance of the role of women in society which is a step forward toward women’s empowerment and possibly discourage patriarchy.
ReplyDeleteSuch stories like women heroic figures will also give more courage to women to be fighters for their rights as they get a role model to follow. In the current context, there is a lot of TV series or other digital platforms that also help with telling these stories. Mankekar (1999) explains this concept through her research on the role of women-oriented TV series (Doordarshan) in India and how the series impacted the lives of rural Indian women. She highlights from her conversation with the Doordarshan’s producers that middle-class women are forming almost more than 60% of their target audience and they believe that these narratives are reflecting these women’s experiences. These series led to social change and women’s empowerment in India as it allowed those women to see a role model based on their personal experiences and that that encouraged them to stand up for themselves. She narrates the story of some women in the different communities whose actions were influenced by these TV series that gave them more agency and empowered them in the household through their active role in the decision making (Mankekar, 1999).
References
Mankekar, P. (2000). Screening culture, viewing politics: Television, womanhood and nation in
modern India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Dong, L. (2011). Mulan's legend and legacy in China and the United States. Temple University
Press.