16 Days - Day 13: Showtime at Zatta – or, Teamwork Again
Posted by Ann Jones on 7 December, 2007
 At the village photo exhibition in Zatta, women photographers deliver a message about women’s lives to chiefs, notable citizens, and guests. Photo: Ann Jones |
| The International Rescue Committee is working with writer, photographer and long-time women’s advocate Ann Jones to give women in war zones an opportunity to document their own lives with digital cameras and make their voices heard.
Ann is blogging from West Africa, posting new photos and stories each day from November 25 to December 10: the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.” You can catch her earlier posts here and sign up to get e-mail alerts about new posts at theIRC.org/join16days. Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire—The big day arrives. The day the women are to exhibit their photos in their village. Actually that’s three big days, one in each of the villages where we’ve worked on the Global Crescendo project. Zatta is first up. To prepare for the shows, each woman selected one or two of her most important photos. I made 8 x 10 color prints and had them laminated in plastic for durability so they can be shown again and again and used in future GBV activities.
Weeks before, during our first slideshows for the women, I made audiotapes, asking each photographer why she took a particular photo and what it meant to her. I intended to use their responses as photo captions, but many of the women could scarcely speak into the little recorder. Tanou was disappointed that their explanations were so literal and specific, such as “This is a picture of a woman sitting in a chair,” with no mention of the husband who abandoned her and her expected child, and no reference to the threat of abandonment that intimidates all these women. But during our discussions of the past month, as they searched their lives for answers to Tanou’s questions, the women somehow learned to generalize. They began to talk about “women,” not just that one in the photo. They began to talk in terms of fairness and justice. And knowing the exhibition was their chance to send a message to the village powers, they practiced.
At Zatta, the big chief, the subchief, the “notable” men, and other respected men of the village gathered in a big semicircle under the trees and invited the women to join them. Tanou greeted the dignitaries, thanked them for receiving us, and explained the purpose of the Global Crescendo photography project: to enable women to examine their problems and present suggestions to improve their lives, end violence against women, and benefit the whole village. She asked the men to keep that purpose in mind, apologizing in advance for the discomfort they might feel on this unprecedented occasion. Women of the village would take the floor and address the chiefs. They might show photographs of things the men did not care to see. They might speak some words, usually unspoken, related to sex. They might even express opinions that seemed to contradict the views of the assembled notables. But their aim, Tanou said, was a good one.
The men listened attentively. With a gesture now and then, they silenced the children playing nearby. They asked questions of the women, and the women responded as if they had engaged in public discussion all their lives.
Then came Zounon Sylvie with a photo of a woman’s leg. The first photo Sylvie took for the project was a photo of a battered woman. (You can see it at posting #1). The woman had wanted Sylvie to show the photo to the whole village, but the group decided against it; they thought she would be recognized, and they couldn’t predict what her violent husband might do. So Sylvie stood up now and spoke about another photo she had taken of the woman’s bruised and bloody lower leg. It caused the old chief to speak for the first time. “No,” he said. “This is too much. I do not want violence of any kind in this village. The violence must stop.” The women applauded the Chief. And when they stood together at the end of the exhibition, holding up their photos for all to see, the Chief led the men in applauding them.
I’d arranged to take photo portraits of the chiefs after the show, and as I did so, the women photographers ranged behind me with their cameras. By tradition, women are not supposed to look at chiefs, but they had looked them squarely in the face today. Now the photographers passed the cameras to their teammates so everyone could get a shot. And the chiefs sat still. The next day the old chief sent word to the women’s group: he had heard their message and he would honor it. I’ll admit I’m skeptical. Who trusts political leaders these days? But Tanou said, “A chief is different. A chief must keep his word. The women of Zatta have won.” |
7 December, 2007 at 11:46 am
I applaud these brave women for who knows what will really happen after the fanfare dies down?!
7 December, 2007 at 11:50 am
Thank you for the great work you are doing with women all over our planet…..The great “each one teach one” in all it’s splender.
Be All You Are…..Enjoy All You Do….. Life Is A Moment By Moment Experience In Being & Doing….
7 December, 2007 at 12:48 pm
This is a very moving story, especially once it is understood that chiefs are different–they must keep their word. I applaud the courage of the women who have never faced a chief, and have never spoken in public.
Thank you for making a difference in the lives of these women.
7 December, 2007 at 1:47 pm
A happy read!
7 December, 2007 at 2:13 pm
I was delighted to see today’s photos and read the story. The women are finally finding their voice, and hopefully now that they know what that feels like, they won’t be silenced again. I realize that things won’t change overnight, and that despite the chief’s comments, many of the women will still experience violence. In spite of that, I have to believe that the new sense of their own power that these women experienced will have begun a change inside of them, and they will begin to stand up to the men, and insist on change. They have shown amazing courage so far. Thank you again, Ann, for all the wonderful work you are doing.
7 December, 2007 at 2:13 pm
It is inspiring to see how the women stood together to give each presenter strength and courage. Hopefully all women will begin to stand together.
7 December, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Much of the reporting and aid work that we hear about focuses on the physical - disease, malnutrition, war. It’s refreshing and thought-provoking to learn of the importance of emotional needs in these women’s lives.
7 December, 2007 at 3:50 pm
WOW! An amazing first step requiring tremendous courage!
I applaud these women, and you and the team, for their efforts!
As I said in a previous comment, I am from South Africa. It is my understanding that once the chief has passed an edict, one disobeys it at one’s peril! I hope and pray that the ball keeps on rolling until total equality and fairness becomes the norm.
I also agree with Dirk, that it is remarkable and thought-provoking to have an organization also address the emotional needs of the women.
7 December, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Thank-you so much for doing this; for calling attention to these issues that women live with every day! I hope this is the start of permanent change:Surely it’s the first step in the right direction.
7 December, 2007 at 8:12 pm
These women in Africa are my heroines. And so is the IRC and Ann Jones and any one all over the world who is working for Woman’s Human Rights.
Thank you all. That the chiefs cannot break their word is something special too.
8 December, 2007 at 5:02 am
I know from reading about Andrea Dworkin’s life and from other testimonials of abuse that those bruises on that woman’s knee in the picture are not necessarily the whole story. She could have sustained knee damage that may not show up until later in her life.
One of the very beautiful things about this IRC project is that people are learning from the experiences of women who have been working for Woman’s Huamn Rights for decades. They are building on the shoulders of giants to borrow from Isaac Newton.
I know that the blogs may make it seem easier than it is, but these women achieved something beautiful in a rather short period of time considering that women have been fighting for their freedom since time immemmorial and there has been a concentrated effort since the mid 1800’s.
In America and many countries “chiefs” are not honor bound to keep their word! Something else to think about!
8 December, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Hi Ann,
Thanks again for another great blog! It’s truly beautiful to know these women stood before the men of their village and made their voices heard. However, one thing bothers me: once IRC leaves, will they get to keep the cameras, an object that has come to represent a new found source of power and influence? And if so, how will they manage, in terms of uploading their pictures from the camera onto a laptop? Will they have a laptop? And if so, will they have to go to the chief’s house and borrow his electricity?
Please don’t get me wrong - I am thrilled by how the entire blog progressed to this post, but I’m also concerned about what happens next. I’m too involved now in this blog to not be concerned about what happens next, logistically. Thanks!
8 December, 2007 at 1:07 pm
It would be awesome if these villages had a generator to provide power for communication needs! :) Strength is in numbers and standing together will help the women. Maybe get those husbands that do help their wives, also stand with them. I think it would be awesome to have these women have access to communicating with the World. :) Bon chance ! madame et madamoiselle!
9 December, 2007 at 10:34 am
hi Ann
I really admire your courage to fight for the well being of these women. No doubt, what you do will play the big part in the future generation. Convincing peaple to evaluate, and change their cultural practice is very big, but you are not backing down, and I look up to you.
One thing, what is the folow up plan after IRC left? What is the local government view on this program? What is your next project? I’d like to participate?
13 December, 2007 at 10:46 am
Why do these so called stars worry more about what is gonig on in Africa instead of helping all of the homeless and stavering children in America. It sickens me that they don’t care about what is going on here at home where they make their millions. These people in Africa have been staving for years so no matter how may people donate money things will never get better. so why don’t help your own people instead.
21 December, 2007 at 3:50 am
Through simple things great things come to pass.
This will effect generations, and affect change as it ripples out, because anything good is not too small to do.
Thank you to any person involved in this project. You are doing great things.