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Wildtrack newsletter - Issue 5
Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe
July 13, 2012

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Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe takes films to colleges

Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe (WFOZ) in partnership with the Women's Law Centre and the University of Zimbabwe's Gender Department recently held a series of film screenings at the University of Zimbabwe, from where the same program was also taken to the Christian College Of Southern Africa (CCOSA).

The local film 'I Want A Wedding Dress' by Tsitsi Dangarembga, which addresses core issues about HIV/ AIDS among young people from the perspective of a young HIV positive woman was an audience hit. The film comes at a time when so much has been said about 'sexually transmitted marks' which basically refers to sexual favours between students and lecturers, for students to garner more marks, and at a time when support for much needed HIV initiatives in society and communities is drastically decreasing.

Other films screened included 'The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo', a documentary that delves into the disturbing gendered consequences of violent conflict through the lens of the militarisation of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 'Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai' which tells the story of Wangari Maathai, an ordinary village girl who became the first female to receive a PhD in East Africa and who subsequently became a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Her simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to improve food security, safeguard the environment, protect human rights and defend democracy, turning Kenyan women into a powerful force to reckon with.

Students were engaged in discussion after each screening by high-powered panels that included representatives from Zimbabwe Young Women's Network for Peace Building, Padare Men's Gender Forum, Musasa Project, Katswe Sistahood, University of Zimbabwe, Women's Law Centre and WFOZ. The overarching message during the discussions was that women's potential must be harnessed to benefit themselves, their families and communities and the nation. This platform provided students with an opportunity to watch, listen and engage with issues from a creative angle.

Completing the CCOSA programme was the South African documentary 'A Country For My Daughter', which explores the huge gap between antirape policy and implementation, amid alarming rape statistics in South Africa, despite the country having excellent anti-rape legislation.

Young women speaking at the recently held Women's Constitutional Conference hosted by the Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe appealed for programmes for young women that are interesting to these young people. The WFOZ- IIFF outreach, provided free to schools and colleges, which has reached over two thousand students already this year, engages and inspires the youth by communicating topical messages to the youth in ways that the youth relate to,

WFOZ has carried out similar activities in the past at the Women's University in Africa, Harare Polytechnic, Mabvuku, Epworth, Chitungwiza as well as in Bulawayo, Gwanda.

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