RayV
11th June 2007, 05:30 AM
As part of volunteering project for woman at villages area in South Africa
Were looking for Video Pro people in Durban or Pietermaritzberg,
To help the group.
We?re group of woman who are in touch with the local rural woman organization.
They have decided they want their voice to be heard & asked us to teach them a profession ?in order to document their state & situation.
We?re collecting video cameras to donate them [can be an old super 8 video]
& going for a week to SA to teach those women to shoot & edit their own stories.
For more info read here (http://www.towogroup.blogspot.com/)
We need a local help in SA, if anyone here knows anyone or can make a contact with local video person in Durban or Pietermaritzberg, [SA]
Will be much appreciated.
Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talking out, Walking on.. for the women of KwazuluNatal
South Africa has undergone enormous changes in the last twelve years and is still in a state of flux. In many areas of the society old attitudes, those that were part of the former repressive regime are being dismissed and discarded. New ideas and practices are being tried and tested, but it will take a while before a new status quo is established. One fundamental sign that bears witness to the development of a healthy society, is the ubiquitous presence of Women at all levels. Women bringing with them their vitality, practicality, expertise and wisdom, determined to make a better future.
Nowhere is the need for able, educated, aspiring women more evident than in rural areas of the country. The new R.S.A. constitution guarantees women's rights, but in practice these ideas have not filtered down to the rural areas at all. During the apartheid era families were divided. Men were sent to work in the cities while the women and children stayed in the villages behind, behind in just about every sense: educationally, economically, legally, status wise etc. Women are needed now, ones who are able to represent themselves and assert their rights and those of others; Women who are able to transcend and overstep the limitations of their historical circumstances.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa has highlighted even more the plight of women in rural communities. Often the victims of oppressive practices, malicious superstitions, rape and violence, women have been led to believe they deserve the abuse they are subjected to and still are strongly encouraged to suffer their lot alone and in silence.
In the words of one young woman living with HIV in KwaZulu-Natal *
`There is nothing we can do except pray to God. Our men will always blame us, no matter what. I just keep quiet.'
Due to their circumstances, rural women lack the personal tools they need in order to override these social restraints. KwaZulu-Natal has the lowest average of educated women in the country. 63% have received either no education at all or just up to the end of primary school. 80% of the agriculture is done by women, but they have no rights over property or land and in the case of any misfortune they are often held responsible and dispossessed of both. Indeed it is common practice to ostracize and demonize women for any ill that may befall the family or community. For example women who courageously speak out publicly about their HIV status also run the risk of being raped, thrown out of their houses and denied access to treatment. This all done in the name of preserving culture and family.
In answer to these needs the Rural Women's Movement (RWM) was officially launched in November 2000 in KwaZulu-Natal and has been registered as a non-profit making organization. RWM works with indigenous poor landless grassroots women, with a total membership of 45,000 women. The organization advocates women's independent land rights and also addresses the issue of HIV/AIDS, and oppressive family violence.
Through RWM women in this area of South Africa have found solace and support in the knowledge that they are not alone in their predicament. Solidarity and personal rights are only the first steps on the long road to women's empowerment and liberation.
Cracking the shell of silence is an equally important component in the process of reclaiming their power and dignity.
Women all over the countryside are reaching out and urging to have their voices heard.
In co-operation with the RWM we are creating a media project that will act as a framework for further community action:
'Talking out, Walking on' ( ToWo ) in detail :
A project that will provide a platform, on which women will feel free to tell their personal stories. This process will involve women's filming and interviewing each other, learning video skills, and acquiring a practice of trauma healing and self management.
The Aim of the Project
? Creating a filmed archive of women stories of abuse, dispossession, and healing.
The collection of filmed interviews can then provide a dynamic archive of women's own narratives, which can then be distributed to other communities, be of help to policy leaders on land rights, and serve as an example of the liberating power of outspoken, oral history.
? Transforming the state of women's personal self perception from one of helplessness and shame to one of courage and integrity.
? Reinforcing and enriching the work of the women support groups in the KZN rural community, by means of film, documentation, and interviewing skills; by building the capacity to work with trauma within the community.
This is an answer to their plea, and a way to inspire the creation of leaders in the society.
The oral history tool has been used world over as a means to free people from the psychological effects of personal trauma.
By telling her story a woman heals and transforms her experience.
Through theact ofspeaking outshe takes her suffering from a place of internal conflict and shame, to one of honesty and courage.
She is an inspiration to all that hear her and an asset to her society.
Her voice resonates with the collective experience and invites others to speak out too. A woman's clear voice can then have a positive affect on her community's traditional habitual behaviors.
The ToWo project will help women alter their status from one of victim to that of an assertive community member, women who can then contribute constructively to their society and effect the changes that will, in turn, make other women's lives safer and better.
The Project Structure
? ToWo camp #1 -A two week camp that will teach and explore the basics of video film shooting and SE therapy skills. Combining the two, the women will then document their own stories in the form of short and basic interviews. This process will take place by creating a fun and motivating bonding experience.
The camp will work with 25 women each week. Women that have been selected by their support group system and that have the calling to study and document.
? In between camps -Ongoing work inside the communities within support groups
These women will then be instigators of filming and interviewing activity in their communities. During which time more stories will be spoken and recorded.
This work will be done in teams of 3 and 4, and will be supported by RWM.
? ToWo camp #2- we will be working with the footage created, on editing skills, more in-depth trauma counseling and supervision on the field work. Short films that can be viewed and presented will be the end product of these weeks.
The Teaching of Video Technical skills
The idea is that local women will be actively involved in all stages of the project.
In addition to telling their stories, women will be trained in listening, and interviewing techniques, in the use of video cameras, the process of filming and the final editing.
This will give each participant, not only the opportunity to voice her own experience, but also the chance to develop observational skills, critical thinking and an aptitude for decision making. Women will be filming each other in small groups of three and four.
Each woman will then be in the position to see her subjective condition in an objective perspective (viewing the footage). They will thereby gain a greater understanding of the big picture and the steps that can be taken to carry the situation beyond the state of victim hood, to one of an involved individual and collective empowerment.
Were looking for Video Pro people in Durban or Pietermaritzberg,
To help the group.
We?re group of woman who are in touch with the local rural woman organization.
They have decided they want their voice to be heard & asked us to teach them a profession ?in order to document their state & situation.
We?re collecting video cameras to donate them [can be an old super 8 video]
& going for a week to SA to teach those women to shoot & edit their own stories.
For more info read here (http://www.towogroup.blogspot.com/)
We need a local help in SA, if anyone here knows anyone or can make a contact with local video person in Durban or Pietermaritzberg, [SA]
Will be much appreciated.
Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talking out, Walking on.. for the women of KwazuluNatal
South Africa has undergone enormous changes in the last twelve years and is still in a state of flux. In many areas of the society old attitudes, those that were part of the former repressive regime are being dismissed and discarded. New ideas and practices are being tried and tested, but it will take a while before a new status quo is established. One fundamental sign that bears witness to the development of a healthy society, is the ubiquitous presence of Women at all levels. Women bringing with them their vitality, practicality, expertise and wisdom, determined to make a better future.
Nowhere is the need for able, educated, aspiring women more evident than in rural areas of the country. The new R.S.A. constitution guarantees women's rights, but in practice these ideas have not filtered down to the rural areas at all. During the apartheid era families were divided. Men were sent to work in the cities while the women and children stayed in the villages behind, behind in just about every sense: educationally, economically, legally, status wise etc. Women are needed now, ones who are able to represent themselves and assert their rights and those of others; Women who are able to transcend and overstep the limitations of their historical circumstances.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa has highlighted even more the plight of women in rural communities. Often the victims of oppressive practices, malicious superstitions, rape and violence, women have been led to believe they deserve the abuse they are subjected to and still are strongly encouraged to suffer their lot alone and in silence.
In the words of one young woman living with HIV in KwaZulu-Natal *
`There is nothing we can do except pray to God. Our men will always blame us, no matter what. I just keep quiet.'
Due to their circumstances, rural women lack the personal tools they need in order to override these social restraints. KwaZulu-Natal has the lowest average of educated women in the country. 63% have received either no education at all or just up to the end of primary school. 80% of the agriculture is done by women, but they have no rights over property or land and in the case of any misfortune they are often held responsible and dispossessed of both. Indeed it is common practice to ostracize and demonize women for any ill that may befall the family or community. For example women who courageously speak out publicly about their HIV status also run the risk of being raped, thrown out of their houses and denied access to treatment. This all done in the name of preserving culture and family.
In answer to these needs the Rural Women's Movement (RWM) was officially launched in November 2000 in KwaZulu-Natal and has been registered as a non-profit making organization. RWM works with indigenous poor landless grassroots women, with a total membership of 45,000 women. The organization advocates women's independent land rights and also addresses the issue of HIV/AIDS, and oppressive family violence.
Through RWM women in this area of South Africa have found solace and support in the knowledge that they are not alone in their predicament. Solidarity and personal rights are only the first steps on the long road to women's empowerment and liberation.
Cracking the shell of silence is an equally important component in the process of reclaiming their power and dignity.
Women all over the countryside are reaching out and urging to have their voices heard.
In co-operation with the RWM we are creating a media project that will act as a framework for further community action:
'Talking out, Walking on' ( ToWo ) in detail :
A project that will provide a platform, on which women will feel free to tell their personal stories. This process will involve women's filming and interviewing each other, learning video skills, and acquiring a practice of trauma healing and self management.
The Aim of the Project
? Creating a filmed archive of women stories of abuse, dispossession, and healing.
The collection of filmed interviews can then provide a dynamic archive of women's own narratives, which can then be distributed to other communities, be of help to policy leaders on land rights, and serve as an example of the liberating power of outspoken, oral history.
? Transforming the state of women's personal self perception from one of helplessness and shame to one of courage and integrity.
? Reinforcing and enriching the work of the women support groups in the KZN rural community, by means of film, documentation, and interviewing skills; by building the capacity to work with trauma within the community.
This is an answer to their plea, and a way to inspire the creation of leaders in the society.
The oral history tool has been used world over as a means to free people from the psychological effects of personal trauma.
By telling her story a woman heals and transforms her experience.
Through theact ofspeaking outshe takes her suffering from a place of internal conflict and shame, to one of honesty and courage.
She is an inspiration to all that hear her and an asset to her society.
Her voice resonates with the collective experience and invites others to speak out too. A woman's clear voice can then have a positive affect on her community's traditional habitual behaviors.
The ToWo project will help women alter their status from one of victim to that of an assertive community member, women who can then contribute constructively to their society and effect the changes that will, in turn, make other women's lives safer and better.
The Project Structure
? ToWo camp #1 -A two week camp that will teach and explore the basics of video film shooting and SE therapy skills. Combining the two, the women will then document their own stories in the form of short and basic interviews. This process will take place by creating a fun and motivating bonding experience.
The camp will work with 25 women each week. Women that have been selected by their support group system and that have the calling to study and document.
? In between camps -Ongoing work inside the communities within support groups
These women will then be instigators of filming and interviewing activity in their communities. During which time more stories will be spoken and recorded.
This work will be done in teams of 3 and 4, and will be supported by RWM.
? ToWo camp #2- we will be working with the footage created, on editing skills, more in-depth trauma counseling and supervision on the field work. Short films that can be viewed and presented will be the end product of these weeks.
The Teaching of Video Technical skills
The idea is that local women will be actively involved in all stages of the project.
In addition to telling their stories, women will be trained in listening, and interviewing techniques, in the use of video cameras, the process of filming and the final editing.
This will give each participant, not only the opportunity to voice her own experience, but also the chance to develop observational skills, critical thinking and an aptitude for decision making. Women will be filming each other in small groups of three and four.
Each woman will then be in the position to see her subjective condition in an objective perspective (viewing the footage). They will thereby gain a greater understanding of the big picture and the steps that can be taken to carry the situation beyond the state of victim hood, to one of an involved individual and collective empowerment.