ARTS AS ADVOCACY AT CSW 53- #5

Yesterday- two amazing activities were presented for CSW attendees as side events. One was presented in the UN building and the other at a local Episcopal Church. Both events featured films about significant events involving women advocacy at the grass root or on the ground level- one in Australia and the other in Liberia. These heroism of the women involved and the sensitivity of the film makers was moving, breathtaking and absolutely empowering to the CSW53 to continue to do our work. Following is a small review of each of the films and the events accompanying them.

Yajillarra- Story by Ralda Forzin- SI South West Pacific CSW attendee.

The Australian government hosted a movie presentation highlighting a success story about a community turned around by a community decision to restrict the sale of take-away high alcohol content drinks. The town of Fitzroy Crossing in the remote Kimberley Region of Western Australia suffered numerous social problems associated with excessive alcohol consumption – violence, children born with foetal alcohol syndrome, lack of school attendance. There were thirteen suicides within thirteen months and a funeral a week to attend.

A campaign initiated by two aboriginal women and supported by the aboriginal elders, recognized women and men leaders, saw an unprecedented ban on high strength beer, wine and spirits sales at all outlets in the town. This was not total prohibition. Low alcohol beer is available for purchase and people can drink at the local hotels. Since the ban, school attendance and success has increased dramatically, the streets are quiet and safe and the levels of violence have reduced significantly.

The film, “Yajillarra”, To Dream in the local Bunuba language, documented the women’s story. The film was followed by an interactive panel session which included the two women, June Oscar and Emily Carter, who spearheaded the campaign as well as the Australian Minister for the Status of Women, the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP and Elizabeth Broderick, the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner. The audience was impressed by the strength and persistence of the women in the face of powerful opposition from those with vested interests in the sale of alcohol and from some members of the community angry at having to drive almost three hundred kilometers to the nearest town to purchase full strength alcohol. This was a story of a community working to solve its own problems. This was a story of women making a difference.

PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL- A film by Abigail E. Disney and Gini Reticker

To set the stage for this amazing award winning film Abigail Disney gave a most empassioned and exciting speech about the inspiration and the making of this important film on women's impressive activism in recent times in Liberia. An interesting thought was that Ms. Disney told us that she had no intention about producing a film when she went to Liberia. She told us that she "went to Liberia
on a lark" because she heard how impressive the women were there.

In brief- she went to Liberia and says that the film was inspired by hearing "the story from a woman". This simple statement resonated with me because I believe so much of the on the ground work that we do as Soroptimists is inspired by stories about a need- often presented by the people involved in the problem.

The movie tells us of a recent and bold advocacy effort that women did in Liberia that gained world public attention. This movie chronicals women in Liberia who banded together against the devastation of the years of civil war that killed their family members, raped their girls, conscripted their children into becoming soldiers and destroyed any posibility of people having their human rights-particularly the women. Women from both Christian and Muslim Peace groups- collaborated and boldly "forced peaceful conclusions" in the "so-called" peace talks between the war lords. Peacefully 200 women blocked the exit doors of the negotiation site with the proclamation that they would not leave until a peaceful solution was achieved. This was an extradinary and brave effort which ended up with positive results!

The movie is available for sharing with other groups and is a "must see". Contact the website:
www.PraytheDevilBacktoHell.com People can do any of the following:

• apply to host a screening
• apply for the September Global Peace Tour
• purchase a DVD for your library, school or institution
• sponsor an international screening
• get Updates about home video DVD release
• and much, much more

Off to another session- We hope these "stories" inspire you as well as remind you how important your "on the ground" work is. One of the constant things we hear from people is that they know who Soroptimists are, they know what we do, and they are impressed that we put action to our words.

Dawn Marie Lemonds, SI Programme Director