January 30, 2010
I am Woman, Hear Me Roar
What Abigail Disney chose to portray through her documentary was something ignored by absolutely everyone, making this film a connector for women all over the world.
She mentioned at the luncheon that her decision to not use a narrator was vital to the project because ' Liberian women have already been spoken for, too many times have they been spoken for'. This aspect of the documentary was not obvious to me when I watched it the first time, however it did make a big impact whether the viewer knew it or not. I imagine the film with a narrator and it could not have been as powerful as to hear Leymah and her friends telling the story themselves. Common Language has played its part in allowing them to communicate their story to the rest of the world.
Abigail Disney is an activist whose mind is set on demolishing weapons and joining all countries in the process of peace. This is good, and she inspired me. She also demonstrated that with new media this is possible, by bringing the story to us and connecting it with all women, in all countries. She mentioned some examples of when she presented it in other countries and how different women from Europe to America had all responded differently. In Europe some women felt it was insulting and some said it was the best thing they'd seen, and they were 80 (or something). She mentioned the different reactions in America and how Americans tended to separate themselves more from this documentary and did not connect or find similarities as did the European women. This reflects onto how most Americans forget we are involved in two wars at the moment and how we separate ourselves from deatha and destruction is unbelievable sometimes.
One cannot, should not, be negative or critical of Disney, she is aware she is a white woman trying to make a film about Africa. And in order to not be cliche she did things differently in the details of this documentary. I am sure none of her story is false, and to not believe the women who work for peace in Liberia again is pessimism at its worst.
In these viewings of a press conference, you see these women elaborate on the documentary.
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ReplyDeleteYou should be aware that not by solely being "women" that Disney was communicating to them. Nor should you not take into account the variability of individual thought, whether it be negative or positive about her mission, critically enforcing ideas of peace onto others. There was a broader concept of community and recruitment to her message. She was not passive in communication, but aggressive!
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I think she just portrayed the Liberian women's 'aggressive' yet peaceful attempt to achieve peace in their community.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you got to hear Disney discuss the details of the narration (or lack thereof) in the film. It seems incredibly important in relation to the Liberian women’s struggle against the political situation in Liberia and also the women in relation to a “white woman making a film about Africa.”
ReplyDeleteI only wish she discussed this during her convocation. She seemed to focus on the platitudes of peace and justice, while ignoring the politics behind the documentary and the possibility of the documentary as catalyst for social change. She discussed that the documentary connected women from across the globe— and had a drastically different impact on women based on location— but she did not go much further on the topic of the impact of her film.
Sometimes being aggressive is not always a bad thing.Neither is calling for attention on issues that for long have been ignored for whatever reasons. Abby Disney has helped to bring history to the life. Not only that she has given these women voices and the audience to tell their stories as it is.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you that people shouldn't view this as a " white woman trying to make a film about Africa" but rather see it a positive contribution to retelling history and also acknowledging the hereons in our society.
What is striking is how much the Liberian women cared. How much they paid attention to the details and wouldn't back down. Disney cared too, she took the time/money to give the women a vehicle to tell their story. Too bad she couldn't talk more about the mechanics of the film in her lecture. Addressing the general campus and community often calls for a more generalized approach.
ReplyDeletehttp://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/07/world/world-nobel-peace-prize/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
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