Programs
2011 Women PeaceMakers Forum
"Women, Media, Revolution"
October 5 - 7, 2011
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice Theatre
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“Women, Media, Revolution” was a free public forum to encounter frontline journalists, filmmakers and social media citizen activists engaged in the critical examination of women in conflict and how they are using their voices in a revolution against ongoing political and cultural violence.
Coverage of women during conflict often focuses solely on violations of women’s rights to physical security and psychological well-being. It must also unmask the cultural traditions that deny women’s human rights and involvement in decision-making that could change the course of violence in their communities.
Participant Biographies
Forum Program
Listen to KPBS interview with Program Officer Jennifer Freeman on gender images in news media and documentaries
Wednesday, October 5
"ACTING TOGETHER ON THE WORLD STAGE": POST-FILM DISCUSSION
West Coast premiere and panel discussion of a documentary film on artists, peacebuilders and community leaders who use theatre to speak truth to power.
- Cynthia E. Cohen, editor, Companion Anthologies and Tool Kits
- Catherine Filloux, playwright
- Roberta Levitow, Theatre Without Borders
- Melissa Fitzgerald, actor, documentary filmmaker (Hope Not Lost)
"WEAPON OF WAR": POST-FILM DISCUSSION
Screening and discussion of an award-winning film on the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the strategic uses of rape as a military weapon.
- Ilse van Velzen, director
- Femke van Velzen, director
- Sylvie Maunga Mbanga, IPJ Woman PeaceMaker from Democratic Republic of the Congo
Thursday, October 6
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE IN GENDER-INCLUSIVE REPORTING
A panel of esteemed female journalists examine the value versus the cost of gender-sensitive reporting in conflict areas.
- Prue Clarke, The Times (London) and New Narratives
- Jina Moore, Christian Science Monitor and Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
- Sharon Moshavi, Boston Globe, Forbes and New Initiatives at the International Center for Journalists
- Farah Abushwesha, Libyan-Irish writer and filmmaker; founder, Women4Libya
- Jennifer Freeman, IPJ Women PeaceMakers Program Officer
"THE SARI SOLDIERS": POST-FILM DISCUSSION
Screening and discussion of “The Sari Soldiers,” an extraordinary story of six women’s courageous efforts to shape Nepal’s future in the midst of an escalating civil war against Maoist insurgents, and the king’s crackdown on civil liberties.
- Julie Bridgham, director
- Dee Aker, 10-Year Nepal Peace Initiative at the IPJ
INTEGRITY AND RESPONSIBILITY IN NEW GLOBAL NETWORKS
A panel of new media pioneers discusses confronting and counterbalancing large corporate-influenced news outlets.
- Prue Clarke,The Times (London) and New Narratives
- Cristi Hegranes, Global Press Institute
- Jennifer Pozner, Women in Media and News
- Kate Daniels, The Women’s International Perspective
"PEACE UNVEILED": POST-FILM DISCUSSION
When the U.S. troop surge was announced in late 2009, women in Afghanistan knew that the ground was being laid for peace talks with the Taliban. "Peace Unveiled," episode 3 from the PBS series "Women, War and Peace," follows three women who immediately began organizing to make sure that women's rights would not get traded away in the deal.
- Gini Reticker, director
Friday, October 7
DIGITAL BRIDGES AND CRUCIAL SOCIAL MEDIA
Panelists discuss new, fertile approaches to getting citizen activists heard. What are the most powerful media tools for a people's revolution or evolution?
- Sapna Shahani, WAVE India
- Heather Ford, Ushahidi
- Jade Frank, World Pulse
"THE PRICE OF SEX": POST-FILM DISCUSSION
“The Price of Sex” follows young Eastern European women who have been drawn into a netherworld of sex trafficking and abuse. Intimate, harrowing and revealing, it is a story told by young women who were supposed to be silenced by shame, fear and violence. Photojournalist Mimi Chakarova, who grew up in Bulgaria, takes us on a personal investigative journey, exposing the shadowy world of sex trafficking from Eastern Europe to the Middle East and Western Europe.
INFORMED AND ALLIED FOR IMPACT!
In summation of the public forum, the 2011 Women PeaceMakers in residence look back on three days of exploration of how media can make a difference. They were joined by four Peace Writers who documented the peacebuilders' stories during their residency.
The Women Peacemakers Program is funded by the Fred J. Hansen Foundation.
“Women, Media, Revolution” partners included Acting Together, Fork Films, Global Press Institute, International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), New Narratives, San Diego Asian Film Foundation, The WIP, Ushahidi, WAVE India, Women in Media & News, Women Make Movies, Women’s International News Gathering Service (WINGS) and World Pulse.
