Women Make Movies makes films available for free online screening from August 20 to 31, 2021.

“In the midst of the political tumult and our fear for women’s lives and rights, it’s important for all of us to know more about the country and the lives of Afghan women — to see their struggles as well as their incredible triumphs over the last 20 years,” says Women Make Movies on the website.

 

The free screening is in solidarity with Afghan women and the Afghan people who are now experiencing the transition to the return of Taliban rule in their country.

 

Among the nine films that will be shared online are stories on the first woman member of parliament, the first women video journalists in the country, the story of a woman fighting against sexual abuse and winning in the courts, the triumph of a female rapper over child marriage.

 

“The films in the collection demonstrate what Afghan women have accomplished in a generation. This context is important as we contemplate how to support women in Afghanistan moving forward,” says Women Make Movies.

 

Register to watch for free: https://www.wmm.com/voices-of-afghan-women-virtual-screening/?goal=0_b9a7a12a6e-0c40c69124-76953680&mc_cid=0c40c69124

 

 

Sonita

A film by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami | Iran/Germany/Switzerland | 2015 | 91 minutes

Two-time Sundance Film Festival award winner SONITA tells the inspiring story of Sonita Alizadeh, an 18-year-old Afghan refugee in Iran, who and dreams of becoming a big-name rapper. However, her family has a very different future planned for her: as a bride, she’s worth $9,000.

 

A Thousand Girls Like Me

A film by Sahra Mani | France/Afghanistan | 2018 | 80 minutes

A THOUSAND GIRLS LIKE ME is an awe-inspiring vérité documentary that tells the story of a young Afghan woman’s brave fight to seek justice and protect her children after experiencing years of abuse at the hands of her father.

 

I Am the Revolution

A film by Benedetta Argentieri | Afghanistan/Syria/Iraq | 2019 | 72 minutes 

I AM THE REVOLUTION is an empowering portrait of three determined women in the Middle East who are leading the fight for gender equality and freedom: Politician Selay Ghaffar, one of the most wanted people in the world by the Taliban; Rojda Felat, a commander of the Syrian Democratic Army; and Yanar Mohammed, who works for parliamentary reform in Iraq while running shelters for abused women.

 

Search for Freedom

A film by Munizae Jahangir | Pakistan | 2003 | 54 minutes

SEARCH FOR FREEDOM traces the dramatic social and political history of Afghanistan from the 1920s-2003 through the stories of four remarkable women: Princess Shafiqa Saroj, sister of the beloved progressive King Amanullah (1919-1929); Mairman Parveen, the first woman to sing on Afghan radio; Moshina, a war widow and survivor of a Taliban massacre; and Sohaila, an exiled medical student who ran underground schools for RAWA (Revolutionary Association of Afghan Women) during the Taliban regime.

 

 

Playing With Fire: Women Actors of Afghanistan

A film by Anneta Papathanassiou | Greece | 2014 | 58 minutes

In Afghanistan, women deciding to be actors make a dangerous choice. Banned under Taliban rule (1994-2001), Afghan theater experienced a comeback in the early 2000s, with many women at the forefront

 

 

Enemies of Happiness (Vores Lykkes Fjender)

A film by Eva Mulvad and Anja Al-Erhayem | Denmark | 2006 | 59 minutes

In September 2005, Afghanistan held its first parliamentary elections in 35 years. Among the candidates for 249 assembly seats was Malalai Joya, a courageous, controversial 27-year-old woman who had ignited outrage among hard-liners when she spoke out against corrupt warlords at the Grand Council of tribal elders in 2003.

 

 

Afghanistan Unveiled

A film by Brigitte Brault & Aina Women Filming Group

Afghanistan | 2003 | 52 minutes | French 

Filmed by the first-ever team of women video journalists trained in Afghanistan, this rare and uncompromising film explores the effects of the Taliban’s repressive rule and recent U.S.-sponsored bombing campaign on Afghani women. None of the fourteen journalist trainees had ever traveled outside Kabul. Except for one, none had been able to study or pursue careers while the Taliban controlled their country.

 

I Am a Girl

A film by Rebecca Barry | Australia | 2013 | 88 minutes 

There is a group of people in the world today who are more persecuted than anyone else, but they are not political or religious activists. They are girls. Being born a girl means you are more likely to be subjected to violence, disease, poverty and disadvantage than any other group on Earth. One of the girls featured in this film is Aziza from Afghanistan, who fears being shot if she goes to school.

 

Photos and information from Women Make Movies

Various media groups call for help for Afghan people, women journalists as the Taliban take over Kabul. 

The Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001 saw girls and young women prevented from attending school, women banned from working jobs outside of healthcare, and women required to be accompanied by a male relative and to wear a burqa at all times when in public. Violations could lead to public whipping or execution.

 

The world watches and waits with fear and trepidation if such reign will come back with the return of the Taliban.

 

The United States must do more to ensure the safety of Afghan journalists as the country falls under the control of the Taliban, including facilitating safe passage out of the country and providing emergency visas, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on August 16.

 

The group said they have registered and vetted the cases of nearly 300 journalists who are attempting to reach safety, and there are hundreds more whose cases are under review.

 

In Afghanistan, at least 53 journalists have been killed since 2001, and five were killed last year alone, according to CPJ.

 

The International Women’s Media Foundation supports all measures to ensure the safety of women journalists and media workers attempting to evacuate Afghanistan. The IWMF also calls on all governments worldwide to open their borders and include media workers in any humanitarian visa offerings available, the group said in its statement.

 

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) expressed concern on the situation of journalists, especially journalists, and the reported closure of 90 media outlets from in provinces that the Taliban have reached.

 

“As a female journalist, I fear for the Afghan female journalists who face torture, rape, and death if the Taliban find them. I hope that journalists and government officials in the U.S. will lend their support in any way they can to save the Afghan journalists who did their best to seek the truth when we were there, also covering the chaos,” SPJ President-elect Rebecca Aguilar said.

 

In the Taliban’s first news conference since taking over the Afghan capital Kabul, the group promised women’s rights and press freedom.

 

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on August 17 that women’s rights will be respected within the framework of Islam. They said they will allow women to study and work and media workers will be protected. The group also promised amnesty for government officials. As these were unseen in the five-year Taliban rule before the 20-year US-backed war, much of these remains to be seen or fulfilled in the coming days.

 

A day before, at least seven people died at the airport in a chaotic bid of Afghan people to leave the country, some even clinging onto the sides of a jet that took off.

 

The US and NATO scheduled to withdraw all troops this year and as this was only nearing completion, the Taliban advanced to Kabul in a week. Afghans woke up to Taliban in the presidential palace at the beginning of this week.

 

Read IAWRT statement on Afghanistan situation of women.

First National Women’s Convention for Peace in Cameroon concluded

The call for peace was done on the symbolic date of 31st July, also the day of the African woman. 

 

The peace call and the convention are the results of six months of planning and brainstorming for the first-ever National Women’s convention for Peace in Cameroon held from July 29-31, 2021 in Yaounde.

 

 

To ensure inclusiveness, the call was read in 4 languages: French, Fufuldei (a language common in the northern regions of Cameroon), pidgin (creole linga-franca) and in the English language. 

 

IAWRT Cameroon President Becky Bissong read the English version of the call as National Coordinator of the Cameroon Association of Women in Media- one of the 38 women-led Civil society organizations that spearheaded the initiative and planned for the event under the auspices of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Cameroon. 

 

 

Women’s call for peace in Cameroon

 

We, Women of Cameroon, are longing for peace.

We have come together for the First-Ever National Women’s Convention for Peace in Cameroon – many hearts, beating as one.

As women, women we have buried our husbands and fathers, our brothers and uncles, our sisters and daughters; we have bandaged the wounds of our sons; wept and comforted our daughters who have been raped and battered, and saved them from being used as human bombs.

We hid in bushes, suffered the cold, starved for days as we ran away from guns and killings. We have been cruelly deprived of everything including our dignity as our tears fall on hardened soil while we watch our children and grandchildren as they loiter at home, unable to go to school.

But, according to an African proverb, “When women move forward, the world moves with them.”

And so, women from every corner of Cameroon and every group of society join their voices in this united “Women’s Call for Peace”: women peace activists, displaced women and girls, victims and survivors of war-related violence, female traditional and religious leaders, female soldiers and sportswomen, women entrepreneurs, domestic workers, bayam sellam women, women from civil society, trade unions, political parties and many more.

We have come together as mothers and grandmothers, wives and companions, sisters and daughters – together, we build an alliance of good will that is stronger, louder and in greater numbers than those people who profit from war and conflicts.

It is true that women pay a disproportionately heavy price in armed conflicts every day around the world. But we have also shown that we can overcome these difficult challenges with strong determination, loud voices and firm actions.

Women are the glue that holds society together, here in Cameroon and across the world – we have a sacred duty to link individuals and bind communities together. And so we have come with an unwavering commitment to bring peace to the country we love and to make it a better place for ourselves and our children.

Cameroonian women can and should play a leading role in building, negotiating and defending peace.

We applaud and pledge our support for all the peace efforts undertaken by government and all its partners in Cameroon and abroad, including civil society. Speaking with one voice and with our eyes firmly fixed on the objective of Peace, we call on all key stakeholders to the conflicts to undertake concrete and immediate actions to:

• End hostilities, immediately and permanently, and thus give meaning to African Union’s campaign to ‘Silence the Guns’ in Africa in order to achieve a conflict-free Africa, prevent genocide, make peace a reality for all and rid the continent of wars, violent conflicts, human rights violations, and humanitarian disasters;
• Pursue a continued and inclusive dialogue that addresses core issues around Peace, Solidarity and shared Humanity in Cameroon;
• Ensure the equal and permanent involvement of Women peace mediators and negotiators in peace processes at all levels, while enforcing their protection at all times, according to the four pillars of the UN Resolution 1325;
• Create additional and reinforce the existing centres for psychosocial support and trauma-healing;
• Render the existing DDR centres functional and responsive to the existing conflicts.

We affirm our total commitment to work for the return and consolidation of peace within our respective families and communities.

We appeal to our sisters, husbands, brothers, and sons to join us in this patriotic commitment.

This is the price of our common future and that of our children.

 

 

Photos from the convention from Becky Bissong

 

IAWRT Cameroon’s Mokwe Welisane Epse Nkeng Ngoneh lead pregnancy-free holidays campaign

Award-winning Journalist and gender advocate/philanthropist and diplomat Mokwe Welisane Epse Nkeng Ngoneh leads a three-month campaign that aims to educate young girls on the health and social risk of unwanted pregnancies. This is part of her work in the Welisane Foundation.

 

“As part of our Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights advocacy and programs, Vacances Sans Grossesses targets youths during the long holidays,” said Welisane.

 

The foundation has designed short key messages on causes, consequences, prevention, abstinence, abortion, menstrual education, contraception to be disseminated by youth peer leaders via social media, mass media, and face-to-face discussions where youths will be gathering for fun activities this holiday.

 

“The long holiday is a time of relaxation and adventure for young people. However, many due to peer pressure or out of excitement may get involved in risky activities and compromising situations leading to sexual activity,” explains Welisane.

 

This campaigned is marked by social media awareness messages, mass media appearances, and peer education events organized by the Welisane Foundation and championed by their ambassadors, a webinar, and a boot camp.

 

“Although both boys are girls engage in this act, sadly enough it is the girl who is affected if she gets pregnant. She misses the next academic year or two. And may end up a school dropout. More so, this could lead to death from attempted abortions or medical complications, depression, suicide, substance abuse among others,” she adds.

 

The trending hashtag on social media is #SexCanWaitMyEducationCant.

 

“No girl should miss the next academic year because of pregnancy,” stresses Welisane.

 

 

On radio, Welisane produces health programs from Cameroon radio and television such as “Let’s Talk Health”, “Health Matters,” “Your Health Your Wealth” and “SOS Doctor.”

 

The Welisane Foundation also launched a “Pink October Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign,” “Let Girls Lead Now” mentorship scheme for young girls and the “Menstrual Hygiene Project” to donate reusable pads to displaced and less privileged girls.

 

The Welisane Foundation will also be commencing the “one girl one dream back-to-school project” for the less privileged and displaced girls to support them with didactic materials and tuition fees or the new school year 2021/2022.

 

“We will carry out a fundraising event, send appeal letters to our partners and sponsors, and do a general crowdfunding initiative,” shares Welisane.

The convention is an initiative by Cameroonian women to send a strong collective message that the women of Cameroon are longing for peace.

IAWRT Cameroon members are among the women joining the peace convention.

 

“Since one can only give what he or she has, let me settle whatever conflict there is within Me or with another person, so that the Peace I give to others will be Genuine,” said Tchonko Becky Bissong, CRTV Journalist and IAWRT Cameroon Chapter head, a post that is part of the social media campaign of the convention. 

 

The peace convention is a gathering of Cameroonian women to speak with one voice about restoring peace to Cameroon. The convention is not organized by the government nor is it related to any political party.

 

More than one thousand women from all corners and groups of society are expected to join to unite their voices: women peace activists, displaced women and girls, victims of war-related violence, female traditional and religious leaders, female soldiers, women entrepreneurs, domestic workers, women from civil society and political parties and many more.

 

“We are here and we are ready to dialogue.”

 

This is the message of women taking part in the unforgettable and incomparable three-day peace convention at the end of July 2021.

 

The convention is slated from July 29-31 at the Palais des Congrès in Yaounde. The town is considered the most centrally located in all of Cameroon, making travel from all 10 regions easier than from any other town.

 

“Let us no longer accept that they speak for us – Let us speak for ourselves.”

 

The information on the convention says that women are paying a disproportionately heavy price in armed conflicts every day.

 

“But we have also shown that we can face these difficult challenges with a strong determination, loud voices and firm actions. Women are the glue of society – we have come with an unwavering commitment to bring peace to the country we love and to make it a better place for ourselves and our children.”

 

The gathering will build an alliance “that is stronger, louder, and more numerous than those who profit from war.”

 

“Nothing will silence us or slow us down – not the difficult memories, the painful testimonies, or the ignorance of those who treat women without respect.”

 

A platform of 38 Cameroonian women’s organisations is part of the planning committee of the peace convention.

 

“War does not determine who is right – only who’s left.”

 

The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Foundation is the convention secretary. FES is a German political foundation that bases its work on freedom, equality, social justice, and solidarity. They have been working in Cameroon since 1986.