Bridging the gap between feminists and the rest of the world

An interview with three young people on their Feminism: Speak Up! project which involved the production of two videos on feminism: 'Speak Up!' and 'Landscaping.'

By Kathambi Kinoti

AWID: How did the idea for the Feminism: Speak Up! project come about, and what did you hope to achieve?

VALENTINA HOMEM: Angela and I first encountered feminism in different ways. I was born and grew up in a feminist environment, since my mother was fully involved with the movement and my father was supportive of it. Angela came
into contact with feminism through her professional work within social movements. Both of us have also always interacted with people in other social spaces, whether or not politically organized.

This interaction in different environments made us realize that a huge gap exists between the 'feminist world' and the universe outside of it, in the sense of communication and exchange in general. Outside the movement, there is complete ignorance about what feminism really is, or at least what it means for us. We were tired of all the stereotypes and misconceptions that were reproduced even by our closest and dearest friends. Inside the movement, or within feminist spaces, what bothered us most was the feeling that nobody was bothered about the widespread ignorance about feminism. We wanted to do something that would stimulate reflection within the feminist movement on why people react the way they do when we say that we are feminists. We also wanted to provoke action towards changing the misconceptions. That is the main goal of the video 'Speak Up!' On the other hand, we also wanted to reach people outside the movement by explaining what feminism is and why we call ourselves feminists. That was why we created the second video 'Landscaping.'

We were to a large extent inspired by the theme of AWID's [2005 International] Forum which was 'How does change happen'.

We hope that the videos we produced will be used in different spaces and we think that if a few people get even a bit changed by them that would be great. 'Landscaping' has been shown in several international film festivals and I think this is already an achievement. Also our experience in using them as tools for workshops has proved that it was a good choice to use the video and they were also well received as aesthetical pieces, which makes us happy.

RICARDO D'AGUIAR: I was not involved in the original formulation of the project but was brought in later by Valentina. My contribution was largely in the development of the visual language that the project uses. I am involved in private production and also in ongoing research in visual language, especially video. At the time that I was invited to join the project I was looking for an opportunity to use some of what I had observed and developed.

I hope that the videos will communicate the positive message that Angela and Valentina wanted to express and particularly that it will reach a young audience. I also hope that they will help to bring more people to understand the dynamics of dominance that are culturally based, but that are widely believed to be based on biology, 'natural' and therefore indisputable.


AWID: Why did you choose to use the video or DVD as a medium?

VH: The use of the video has a lot to do with the theme of change. We thought it was an innovation in terms of the kind of language employed to discuss feminism. Another reason is that audiovisual communication is a powerful tool in the contemporary world and we think it is underutilized by the feminist movement and feminists in general. We wanted to change conventional ways of approaching and stimulating debate around feminism and we thought the videos would be a great instrument. The videos are available on DVD to allow for easy distribution and use by people in different contexts, and are also soon going to be available on the internet.

AWID: What are some of the challenges that you faced in producing the films?

VH: The biggest challenge was that we had a very small budget and therefore we had to work on a volunteer basis. Another challenge was that during most of the duration of the two year project Angela and I were living on different continents. Of course in some ways this was a good thing since we were able to shoot in different countries and get a larger picture of the
themes. However logistically it posed administrative problems. At a personal level the idea of explaining feminism was a big challenge. We did not want to give one definition of it but at the same time we wanted to express how we understood it, how we felt about it, and to do so we had to locate our understanding within other people's words and experiences.

RD: There were also some technical challenges such as limited equipment, processing power and output capabilities. However these very challenges directed us to satisfying solutions that shaped the look of the project.

AWID: What kind of response have you received about the films?

ANGELA COLLET: One interesting thing about this project is that the two videos open space for interacting and getting feedback from people who come from different realities and backgrounds; those who call themselves feminists and those who do not. For instance, the feedback we have got from the feminists who were part of the workshop we organized during the AWID Forum in Thailand was quite positive in terms of using the video 'Speak Up!' as a starting point to the debate, bringing to light questions they found relevant to be further debated within the feminist movement. They also gave good feedback about using the video in activities in their local realities. We also received positive but different feedback from another workshop that we organized using the same video but having as participants young people from poor communities in Olinda in Brazil. These participants had not had much contact with the feminist movement. What they seemed to like most
about the video was that it stimulated discussion about issues they would otherwise had little opportunity to question or address.

The same happened with the video 'Landscaping.' The feedback we get from feminists is usually related to the content of the videos, whereas, for example, in a film festival that took place in Cordoba, Spain in which 'Landscaping' was shown, video producers and directors present gave positive feedback about some of technical resources used for the videos, such as having images and music between the interview segments. We were pleased with this since we deliberately employed this technique precisely with the objective of giving viewers some time between scenes to absorb the information. We believe that one of the challenges feminism has to urgently address is how to find alternative ways and forms of disseminating information that effectively helps people open their minds and get interested in understanding the complex issues we want to raise.

AWID: Has being involved in this project had any effect on your work, or in the way you view feminism or approach feminist issues?

AC: 'Feminism: Speak Up!' had a very powerful impact on all us in different ways depending on our background. I come from a very intellectual background and am surrounded by people who usually use written texts, panel speeches or meetings as the main means to exchange information. During this project I was exposed to a new way of disseminating information and raising questions. I found out that the video is a very powerful tool in the social sciences field as well. It helps viewers associate what they are seeing and hearing with what goes on in their day-to-day lives. This is crucial in making change happen. For Valentina, who comes from the field of journalism and already had experience in producing video-documentaries, the great new thing about this project was not so much using the video as a tool, but in the issues addressed in the videos. We found our personal questions being somehow asked or answered through other people's words and this made us learn a lot through the whole process of interviewing, shooting and editing.

Another great impact that the project had on our views about feminism was the fact that two men were involved in the project; Ricardo, who has shown his gender sensitiveness in his part in the production of the videos and Fabio, who revealed how important his relationship with feminism has been in his life, in changing his behaviour, ideas and habits.. Valentina and I were very happy working with them. We really believe feminists should be more open to paying attention to men's perspectives about feminism, and to perceiving their own way of being feminist or gender-sensitive.

RD: As with any other major project I have been involved with, this project has had a great effect on my work. It has given me an opportunity to develop, to learn more, to experiment with new things and to practice my craft. Moreover the positive environment in which we were working made this easy to do and very rewarding. It has also contributed to my gaining a
better understanding of feminism. As a Brazilian man, raised a Catholic, it has presented me with a new tool for reflection, one that I am still far from mastering, but am very excited to learn more about.


AWID: Is there anything else that you learnt during the whole experience?

VH: We have all learnt a lot during the whole process. For me, the most surprising thing was that I had never thought of feminism conceptually. Feminism for me was always a way of being, of living, of understanding the world, and even sensations that I had. But I had never put it into words and having some other people saying, explaining, reflecting about all that I have always felt was a really great experience. Specifically some interviews were very surprising; during these interviews we would look at each other really amazed by what the interviewees were saying and that was always thrilling and inspiring.

RD: I learnt very many technical things and I developed quite a few new skills in regard to the editing and filming. I also learned a lot about story structure and connectivity, internet streaming and hosting. From a philosophical point of view, it opened up a whole new set of possibilities; new tools for observation and a great upgrade in my understanding of my own
actions and behaviour as a Brazilian male. In my quest to evolve and to develop as a human being, it was a great gift to have worked on this project and to learn so much about the feminist point of view. I cannot say that I have completely understood it and embraced it and 'Voila! Now I am an enlightened feminist!' It is not that easy. I feel more like I have just realized that there is actually a huge mountain right on my path, a pretty high mountain that I had not even realized was there before.