Author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Around the world, people commemorate International Women's Day on March 8th. This year, International Women's Day celebrates it 100th anniversary. In Puerto Rico, and in many countries in Latin America, the day will be dedicated to honor and remember the resilience of Haitian women, and the lives of three feminist Haitian activists who died during the catastrophic earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010: Myriam Merlet, Anne-Marie Coriolan and Magalie Marcelin.

Logo of the International Feminist Solidarity Camp in Haiti.

In Puerto Rico, the the March 8 Coalition, which includes feminist, political, and labor union grassroots organizations, has launched the blog 8 de marzo en Puerto Rico [ES] with a wealth of information on the history of the International Women's Day, and the dozens of events planned for the commemoration. Even though there has been debate concerning the necessity of celebrating a “Women's Day”, it is true that inequality, injustice and violence against women are realities around the world.

Flyer announcing March 8 activities in Puerto Rico.

In these days, bloggers in Puerto Rico have written posts on a diversity of issues concerning women. In Poder, Cuerpo y Género [ES], feminist blogger Nahomi Galindo writes about the recent death of a female inmate in a prison in Puerto Rico:

Las instituciones carcelarias son sólo un ejemplo de formas de control social. Se ha comprobado que estas no reducen la criminalidad; por el contrario, crean un círculo vicioso que empieza en el estigma y termina en la reincidencia. Sin embargo, tanto el castigo como el estigma son peores para la mujer, pues al ser confinada transgrede tanto la ley como los roles que la sociedad le ha impuesto.

Blogger and Law student Mariana Iriarte offers statistics of violence against women in Puerto Rico, and writes about women's resilience and strength [ES]:

En Puerto Rico los indicadores de violencia doméstica y femicidios son alarmantes. Las estadísticas más recientes son del 2008 y revelan que 17,074 mujeres han sido víctimas de violencia doméstica, esto sin tener en cuenta los casos que no se reportan a las autoridades estatales; de esas 17,074 mujeres han muerto 26. A esto debe sumarse el maltrato institucional del cual somos víctimas. No es una novedad que la población que se ha visto más afectada por los despidos del sector público han sido las mujeres, muchas de ellas madres solteras único sustento del hogar.

Ante el embate de las políticas neoliberales de la actual administración las mujeres, aún siendo las más afectadas, hemos salido a la calle a luchar por nuestros empleos, comunidades, hijos e hijas, libertad sexual y reproductiva, entre muchos otras luchas que hemos dado y seguiremos dando. Parece ser que en los albores de un nuevo milenio las mujeres seguimos y seguiremos enfrentado los retos y desafíos que se le presentaron a las mujeres en siglos pasados.

In Nananinas [ES], blogger Nana writes about some of the many roles women perform:

Cuando hablamos de mujeres trabajadoras no nos referimos únicamente a las que reciben remuneración por sus servicios. Cada una, desde su posición particular, realiza un trabajo necesario para la evolución de la sociedad. Las que crían a sus niños y niñas para que sean ciudadanos y ciudadanas útiles y concientes trabajan. Las que conducen autobuses trabajan. Las que cuidan a un familiar enfermo trabajan. Las que diseñan edificios trabajan. Las que imparten clases trabajan. Las que operan a personas enfermas trabajan. Todas somos trabajadoras.

Working women like these are integral to the rebuilding of Haiti and one blog, Haiti Vox, acknowledges that:

When I was in Haiti shortly after the quake, I met with Haitian women leaders to talk about their emergency needs and the best way for the global community of women and organizations to support them to reorganize and play a leading role in discussions and forums about Rebuilding Haiti.

The blogger, Anne-christine d'Adesky, began working towards a global grassroots solidarity initiative with the help of Haitian women in the diaspora and feminist leaders and the Poto Mitan: Rebuilding Haiti initiative was born. The organization is committed to accelerating the delivery of emergency services, resources, funding, and programs to women, girls and grassroots communities in Haiti and advocates for the implementation of a women- and community-oriented approach to relief and reconstruction that is part of the larger Rebuilding Haiti agenda.

The group has several activities planned (advocacy, reporting, networking) designed to address the post-disaster and long-term needs of Haitian women affected by the earthquake, including participation in today's International Women's Day events. Their Group and Community Forum has more details.

“My name is Bahamboula Gertrude. I was a stonecutter in Kinkala before the war. I helped make stones used for building houses. When the war began they started destroying houses instead of building them …” Photo of Gertrude cutting stones published with permission from Silence Speaks.

Seven women affected by Congo-Brazzaville’s (also known as Republic of Congo) civil wars between 1997 and 2003 came together in November 2009 for a four-day digital storytelling workshop organized in a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (UNDP-BCPR) and the Center for Digital Storytelling’s initiative Silence Speaks. Since their beginnings in 1999, Silence Speaks, which is based in the United States, has coordinated more than 40 projects across the United States, and in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Congo-Brazzaville, South Africa, and Uganda.

Congo-Brazzaville workshop group. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.

On behalf of Global Voices, I interviewed the director of Silence Speaks, Amy Hill, to learn more about this wonderful project. Amy explains that their workshops blend oral history, popular education, and participatory media production, enabling people to create short videos about their own lives, with stories that may otherwise go unheard.

“We modify our methods to accommodate languages, literacies, and technologies in a given setting and emphasize reflection on the implications of bringing sensitive personal narratives into the public sphere. Following careful informed consent processes, stories are shared locally and globally, as strategic tools for training, community mobilization, and policy advocacy to promote well being, gender equality, and human rights,” she says.

GV: How did you start working with women survivors of war in the Republic of Congo?

Amy: “In April of 2009, I was approached by a staff member with UNDP’s Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (BCPR) in Geneva about the possibility of developing digital storytelling work in the context of UNDP’s Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programs…

“In recent years, BCPR personnel have recognized that critical to the success of their efforts are the development of communications strategies that ensure a voice and audience for those directly affected by conflict. Because we shared a particular interest in women’s health and well-being and because DDR efforts have been criticized for failing to emphasize the need for gender-specific approaches to post-conflict support, we outlined a collaborative project to assist a small group of women affected by/involved with the most recent civil war in Congo Brazzaville (1997 – 2003) in sharing their stories.

“The goal of the project was two-fold: (1) to use a participatory production process in creating a collection of short videos and radio pieces that can be screened by UNDP in various local and international settings (ie, at community events,  trainings, conferences, meetings, web presentations, etc.) to highlight examples of success and positive change; and (2) to provide a mechanism for addressing the deep scars left in the region in the wake of years of conflict (both through the workshop process itself, and through subsequent distribution of the digital stories in Congo).”

GV: With what local organizations did Silence Speaks work with in Congo?

Kinkala. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.

Amy: “The BCPR chose Republic of Congo as a site for the project because its DDR team maintains a special emphasis on income generation activities for women. Local UNDP communications officers and program staff based in Brazzaville (the country’s capital) and Kinkala (a heavily war-affected city in Congo’s Pool region, where much of the most brutal fighting took place) were involved in project planning from the outset.

“A key piece of the participant recruitment process involved informing interested women from the outset that their stories were intended for public sharing. After years of working in extremely resource-poor settings and in communities experiencing high levels of poverty and distress, I do not view “informed consent” as a one-time procedure involving the signing of forms. Instead, I am committed to weaving the notion of consent throughout projects…

“Our goal with the project was to support as best we could a process that gave the women themselves a sense of clear ownership over their work and a sense of commitment to how their stories can assist community reconciliation and peace building activities in the wake of war both locally and globally.”

Workshop in Congo-Brazzaville. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.

GV: What forms of media did the women survivors select (video, audio, text, photographs, internet-based) to narrate their stories?

Amy: “Most of the women who participated in the workshop had less than a sixth grade education and had never had access to any media-making tools. We wanted to design a workshop process that would be empowering rather than intimidating, and we were limited in terms of local technology resources (again, electricity is scarce in Kinkala, and computers are virtually nonexistent), so we focused the participatory aspect on photography and drawing rather than on the use of computers.

“Prior to the four-day session, UNDP staff carried out an orientation for the women to go over the purpose of the project and describe what would happen in the construction of stories. Each participant was given a disposable camera, and UNDP staff offered a short training session on photography basics and camera use.

“Several weeks later, we gathered in Kinkala for four days, where the women shared and recorded stories and drew illustrations. We also shot additional photos and videos on site. Participants turned in their cameras, and the photos were developed. Afterwards, I edited these materials into finalized short videos and radio spots.”

GV: How did the women who participated in the workshops describe the experience of telling their stories?

Florence Malanda at the Coop. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.

Amy:Time and resource limitations made it impossible for us to do focused interviewing with the participants about how they felt in the aftermath of sharing their stories, but the sense of relief and pride was palpable, on the last day of the session. During a short debriefing conversation, workshop participant Florence Malanda, Head of the Kinkala Women's Cooperative, said, “These testimonials will help to raise awareness with all Congolese people on the consequences of war. We hope that UNDP's support will also help other women who are suffering around the world.”

GV: What is the role of multimedia tools and the Internet in these storytelling projects?

Amy: “At the Center for Digital Storytelling, we view multimedia/digital media tools as just that: tools to assist people in sharing meaningful stories from their lives. We do not glorify them or see them as in and of themselves capable of bringing about change. We believe that what is important is how and why these tools are used.

“With Silence Speaks, I am not interested in “collecting stories” just for the sake of creating an archive of stories; I am interested in critically examining the ways in which the process of sharing and listening to stories can lead to specific changes across multiple levels of human experience and influence.

“Of course user friendly digital editing and production tools are essential to this idea, if the stories are to be developed in media formats. But teaching people technology skills alone or dumping equipment into their communities absent a coherent plan for how these skills or equipment can be utilized to promote an analysis of people’s life circumstances, build political consciousness, or support community/civic engagement, etc., seems to me to be extremely misguided. Instead, I take a Freirean approach to the use of the tools – one that views technology as an enhancement to a process of learning and empowerment.

“When it comes to the role of the internet, particularly in relation to projects like the work with women in Congo, I would caution readers to think carefully about who benefits from the proliferation of narratives of suffering and sorrow, online. Is it the storytellers themselves? Or is it media outlets, NGOs and government agencies with particular funding/programmatic agendas, and distant viewers sitting alone at their computers who can feel safe and secure in the knowledge that such tragedies are remote and pitiable?

“Certainly I am complicit in this equation, since I clearly stand the benefit from the outreach and publicity that sharing stories on the internet can bring about. However, when it comes to project development, I prefer to focus not only on strategies for internet distribution but on mechanisms for sharing stories with local audiences, where they have the potential to really make a difference.

“My colleagues at WITNESS have offered useful mentoring along these lines, with their emphasis on “micro audiences” and video advocacy. In the case of the Congo women’s stories, the collaboration with UNDP stresses not only distribution in international venues but also distribution locally, via community screening and dialogue sessions in Kinkala, and distribution throughout the Pool Region and nationally, via radio broadcasts and associated call-in programming on issues of conflict and reconciliation.”

Workshop participants. Photo published with permission of Silence Speaks.

GV: How can telling one's story be empowering?

Amy: “Trauma expert Judith Herman contends that while telling one’s story can be healing, participating in collective action at the community level also plays an important role in nurturing recovery. This is why Silence Speaks aims to support individual transformation and empowerment while simultaneously building the resilience of participants for involvement in community building and social justice movements.

“It’s really important to stress, though, that before any of the above benefits can be realized, people must feel ready and able to share their stories. Most people will come to the digital storytelling process when they are emotionally and physically strong enough to do so, but some may not be able to assess their own readiness.”

The 37th anniversary of the landmark United States Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade (January 22, 1973)  spurred bloggers in Puerto Rico to express their opinions about a ruling that still sparks controversy. The decision made abortion legal in the United States, and it was extended to Puerto Rico due to the Island's political relationship with the US (Puerto Rico is a US commonwealth). Feminist bloggers from Puerto Rico, all of them pro-choice, joined to voice their thoughts on occasion of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. We have also included the opinion of bloggers on the other side of the debate.

Feminist lawyer Verónica RT explains in her blog Mujeres en Puerto Rico [ES] that when it comes to abortion women's voices are still silenced:

Sin embargo, y a pesar de que ya van casi cuatro décadas desde el reconocimiento de tal derecho, el aborto continúa siendo un tabú, las historias de las mujeres que han abortado son silenciadas, y el espacio retórico ha sido casi completamente ocupado por las corrientes fundamentalistas que utilizan la religión como justificación para subordinar a las mujeres…Nos corresponde, entonces, a nosotras velar por ser las autoras de nuestras propias historias, sin intervención indebida del Estado ni de nuestras parejas, ni de una sociedad aún machista. Después de todo, la historia de nuestra emancipación la escribiremos nosotras. Nadie más.

Although more than four decades have passed since this right was recognized, abortion is still a taboo. Stories of women who have had an abortion are silenced, and the rhetoric space has been almost completely occupied by fundamentalists who use religion to justify the subordination of women…It is our task to be the writers of our own stories, without having the State or our partners’ intervening, nor a sexist society. After all, we are the ones who will write the story of our liberation. No one else.

Photo by Punkassphotos. Republished under a CC Licence.

Feminist blogger Nahomi Galindo also explains [ES] her position:

La experiencia de la maternidad varía de mujer en mujer. Defender el derecho al aborto no significa obligar a las mujeres a realizárselo; por el contrario, implica que las mujeres que lo necesiten tengan la libertad de elegir sin ser perseguidas ni exponerse a morir en el proceso. Por eso es importante recordar un lema feminista que dice: “Imagina que te prohibieran parir. Ahora imagina que te obligaran”. En esta frase invita a reflexionar sobre cuán macabro es ejercer el poder sobre el cuerpo de la mujer sin incluirla en la decisión.

Women experience motherhood in different ways. To defend the right of abortion does not mean to force women to have an abortion. On the contrary, it means that women who need an abortion should have the freedom to choose, without being persecuted nor exposing themselves to dying as part of the procedure.  This is why it’s important to remember the feminist slogan that says: “Imagine if you were prohibited to have children. Now imagine that you were forced to.” This phrase invites us to reflect on how terrible it is to exercise power over women’s bodies without including her in the decision.

Every woman should have the power to decide over her body and health. When we speak in public about abortion what we are asking is that women who need an abortion may have access to a free, safe and hygienic procedure, without being criminalized for it. We also claim for a responsible sexual education that includes information on pregnancy prevention not limited to the disastrous pro-abstinence campaign.

In her blog Promesa Política [ES], Mariana Iriarte expresses her thoughts:

Cuando me preguntan por qué, aún siendo madre, defiendo el derecho al aborto siempre contesto que lo defiendo porque tener un hijo fue mi decisión. El cuerpo de las mujeres debe estar en el ámbito de agencia de éstas, no en el Estado, la sociedad o la religión. Decidir qué hacer con tu cuerpo y controlar tu sistema reproductivo es un derecho fundamental que, de ninguna manera, debiera ser regulado por el Estado.

When I am asked why I defend the right of abortion, although I am a mother, I always say it is because I decided to have a child. Women should be able to exercise agency over their bodies, not the State, society or religion. To be able to decide what to do with your body, and control your reproductive system, is a fundamental right that should not be regulated by the State.

According to feminist blogger and Philosophy student Sahir Pujols [ES] people must first define when life begins:

Reflexiones sobre la limitación de la mujer ante un evento como el de reproducir una criatura. Estas limitaciones, si es que deben de existir, no pueden estar basadas en la concepción de un credo religioso fundamentalista, sino sobre las reflexiones de cuándo comienza la vida y el uso de la libertad. Según las investigaciones de la neurobiología del feto, reseñadas por el bioeticista y neurocientífico Michael Gazzaniga, se puede concluir que podemos conceder una categoría ética al feto desde el sexto mes de gestación. ¿Cuál es el criterio para hacer este señalamiento? El desarrollo del sistema nervioso con el cual el feto comienza a experimentar estados de conciencia.

Reflections on the limits of a woman before an event such as the reproduction of a child. These limits, if they must exist, should not be based on the belief of a fundamentalist religious creed, but rather on a reflection on when life begins and the use of freedom. According to research by the neurobiologist Michael Gazzaniga, we can conclude that we can give an ethical category to the fetus beginning on the sixth month of gestation. What are the criteria used to reach this conclusion? This is when the nervous system develops, by which the fetus starts to experience states of consciousness.

Blogger Michael Castro has a different take [ES] on the abortion debate:

Como cristiano estoy en contra del aborto. Considero que es un crimen un asesinato de una inocente criatura que no tuvo culpa de ser concebido. Aún así entiendo a la mujer violada que quiera hacerse un aborto y no puedo decir que sea un crimen en aquellos casos donde la vida de la madre está en eminente riesgo. Leí Roe vs Wade y tampoco puedo estar en desacuerdo con el razonamiento de la Corte Suprema, cada mujer tiene pleno derecho a hacer con su cuerpo lo que desee y el Estado no puede coartar ese derecho…Como todo en la vida los derechos pueden ser abusados… Menores de edad usando el aborto como método para controlar la natalidad. ¿Qué pasó con la educación sexual? ¿Qué pasó con los contraceptivos? ¿Qué pasó con el respeto a la vida?

As a Christian I am against abortion. I believe that it is a crime to kill an innocent child who is not responsible for having been conceived. Having said that, I also understand that a raped woman might want an abortion, and I cannot say it is a crime when the mother’s life is in danger. I read Roe vs Wade, and I cannot be against the reasoning behind the Supreme Court’s opinion that every woman has the right to decide over her body, and that the State cannot intervene in this…As with everything in life, rights can also be abused…There are minors who are using abortion to control natality. What happened with sexual education? What happened with birth control methods? What happened with the respect for life?

The photo was taken from Fotopedia. Please visit PunkassPhotos photostream on Flickr.