Afrifem in action: Jama Jack presents MÉBÉT, a cautionary tale about child marriage (The Gambia)
/
Meet Jama Jack, Afrifem extraordinaire from The Gambia. She wrote the story for MÉBÉT, the movie she is presenting today.
Hello Jama, thank you for accepting my invitation. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your feminist work?
I am a Gambian feminist, communications professional and writer. I lead Communications and Engagement for one of the biggest medical research institutions in Africa. I also run my own consultancy, Linguere Communications, providing professional communications and engagement solutions for organisations, institutions, and businesses. I also lead communications and networking for Think Young Women, a non-profit organization for and by young women aiming to bring about a new generation of enlightened young female leaders in The Gambia, and I use my skills as a communications professional to support other organisations and initiatives with their strategies around branding, engagement and publicity.
My work is mostly centred on women and girls, and I have been able to get into a unique position where I have created the space for many young women to also explore those intersections and live in the full light of their potentials. I provide training and mentorship support for girls and young women. I have also been able to contribute to the adoption by feminists of social media and other online platforms for their work. I am a huge social media believer because I have seen what power it has in amplifying our voices and helping us find our tribe.
I was privileged to watch MÉBÉT, the movie you wrote, and now I want everyone to know about it. Please tell us about this film.
MÉBÉT is a short film on child marriage, produced in 2019 by RebelVZN, a Gambian multimedia production and film making company. It tells the story of a girl who was forced out of school into marriage to a man she had never met, and of all the complications she faced as a result. The film is a reflection on the realities of child marriage, the harm it causes, and our individual and collective responsibilities to protect girls from this violation of their rights.
I wrote the original story for this film in 2012, as an undergraduate student in Morocco, as part of my journey to use my voice to speak up against the many forms of violence against women. As with most of the stories I write, the intention was to further the conversation on child marriage, using fictional representation for what has become a reality for millions of girls. I come from The Gambia, where 1 in 3 girls is married off before she turns 18. I have friends who were forced into child marriage, and I wanted this story to keep that reality at the fore, while also prompting us into action to protect vulnerable girls.
I have friends who were forced into child marriage, and I wanted this story to keep that reality at the fore, while also prompting us into action to protect vulnerable girls.
The film was the result of a brilliant partnership between RebelVZN and STS Pictures, along with specialised companies like ImagenSound Gambia and Studio 411. Apart from writing the story, I was also key in the pre-production and post-production phases, especially managing outreach and publicity for the film through my company, Linguere Communications. So, I wear multiple caps, and it has been super exciting.
Watch the trailer for MÉBÉT , a powerful short film written by Jama Jack. ©RebelVZN
What has happened since the launch of the film? How has it been received?
We presented the film in a public screening in The Gambia on 17 January 2020. Our tickets were sold out even before the day. The feedback was amazing, and we only had the most stellar reviews, which we appreciated greatly for many reasons. We, especially, loved the fact that a lot of the feedback focused on the messaging. This meant that our mission was fulfilled, and people were talking about child marriage and sharing their views.
Prior to this, we ran a short pilot screening series, targeting adolescents and young people in 5 schools. This was done in partnership with Think Young Women, as part of the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence, which was a great advocacy opportunity. With funding from UNFPA’s country office in The Gambia, we screened the film to about 600 boys and girls in these schools, including a school for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Each screening featured a discussion session, and we were honoured to engage with these young people. The film is narrated from a perspective that challenges the future generation to do better, so it was very important for us to host these screenings and facilitate these conversations. The feedback was consistently positive, and we even had some of the children asking us for a Part 2!
We have also had researchers and civil society groups approach us to explore partnerships to take the film to rural communities where the prevalence of child marriage remains high.
Has the COVID19 pandemic affected your work in any way?
We've had to suspend community screenings because of COVID-19. And I am a frontline staff, leading communications for the testing centre in The Gambia. So all of my time has been dedicated to that.
At a screening of MÉBÉT at a school in The Gambia. Photo credit: RebelVZN
What are the next steps for MÉBÉT? What are you ultimately trying to achieve with this film?
Our goal has always been to use this film as a tool to support the work that is already being done to end child marriage, in The Gambia and globally. The school screenings have been a great start and have shown us how much we can do to facilitate these conversations and influence change. I’m so excited about it all.
We’re currently looking for opportunities to support the translation of the film into several languages, starting with our Gambian languages. This will help in making the film more accessible to the various communities we will be taking it to. Our biggest success with this film will come from knowing that it has helped in preventing child marriages in our communities. Our vision will have been met, and the desire in my heart when I wrote the story eight years ago will have been fulfilled.
Our biggest success with this film will come from knowing that it has helped in preventing child marriages in our communities.
We’re also submitting the film to various film festivals around the world, with the sole purpose of reaching a wider audience. We are, especially, targeting festivals that have a human/women’s rights focus, hopefully being able to reach some decision-makers that can support positive advocacy results. It has already been accepted as part of the official selection for two festivals: the African Women Art & Film Festival (in Tanzania), and the 10th Annual Charlotte Black Film Festival (in the USA)
Ultimately, we want to see MÉBÉT recognised and adopted as a creative arts and social justice tool to support the work being done by the thousands of incredible activists and organisations working to end child marriage.
How can the Eyala community help you make that dream a reality?
Plug us in! (She laughs) We’re currently looking for opportunities and partnerships to show MÉBÉT to the world, and facilitate meaningful engagement on the issue of child marriage. So, if anyone has the connections, power, or resources to make this happen, we’re happy to explore a partnership.
We also need some funding support to translate the film into other languages, to enable us to screen it in as many communities as possible. We’re still a small group with limited resources, but we completely funded the production of this film from our pockets. As we work to realise our vision for this film, and subsequent productions, we will need funding support to deliver quality and relevant content. So the Eyala community can help with that as well.
I’m assuming many of your readers work in feminist spaces or do feminist work. We are happy to partner with your initiatives, host screenings at your events, or even organise full package screenings where you are.
We need funding, visibility, and the right connections to help us deliver this film to the people who need it the most. Let’s work together.
In action: Jama Jack facilitates a conversation with students during a screening of the movie at a school in the Gambia.
Let’s go a little more personal now. How has your work with MÉBÉT impacted you as an African woman and as a feminist?
The production of MÉBÉT was a full-circle moment for me, and for my journey as a feminist. I have been blogging for 10 years, and have been writing for many years before that. Writing has always been my most excellent expression form, and as I grew in my journey as a feminist, my writing has also mirrored this experience. I am probably most known for my writing on women’s rights, feminism, and human rights in general.
So, writing a story on my blog, and then watching it on television 8 years later, affirmed a lot for my craft and my journey. It was an affirmation that my voice matters, and has power; that my craft is important and can create positive change; that regardless how tough the journey of openly feministing can get, the results are always worth it. I moved from that moment with the belief that I can continue to do my heart’s work to tell stories that matter, and capture the hearts and minds of people who may never have heard of me. That is powerful, and I’m setting my pen in ink again to keep writing.
As an African woman, it also means a lot to me that we can tell our own stories in our own way, using our own languages, and these stories can break barriers and influence change. The feedback we have received so far has affirmed this, as well, and there’s no stopping this claim we are laying on our experiences and realities as African women and as African feminists.
Writing a story on my blog, and then watching it on television 8 years later, affirmed a lot for my craft and my journey. It was an affirmation that my voice matters, and has power.
Reflect on this initiative, what lesson have you learned that you want to share with other African feminists?
The lesson is to BELIEVE! In ourselves, in our voices, our power, our work, and the impact we can make in this world. Feministing while African can be a tough job, as we negotiate and try to understand our various identities, and deal with lots of backlash and abuse, but the lesson is always to believe in the importance of what we do and what difference it can make in our lives and the lives of other women and other marginalised and oppressed groups. Even if our speaking up creates a positive difference for one life, that is huge.
It took about years to get to this point for me, and I was open to working with partners that could help turn this dream into reality. I think that’s also a lesson: partnership breeds great results, and we all win in our little ways as we work towards our collective liberation and thrive in our various spaces.
How can the Eyala community find out more about the film and get in touch with you?
Most of our publicity has been online. Information on MÉBÉT and updates on the journey we’re taking with it can be found on our website and on our various online homes: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. To reach us, please email rebelvzn@gmail.com, or hit us up on any of our social media platforms and we’ll carry forward the conversation.
You know I can’t let you go without asking you Eyala’s ritual question: what is your feminist life motto?
Mine is inspired by the African Feminist Charter: “My feminist identity is not qualified with ‘Ifs’, ‘Buts’, or ‘Howevers’. I am a Feminist. Full stop!” For me, a full, unapologetic affirmation of my feminist identity is the beginning, the life, the soul, and the complete definition of my journey. All of this, of course, rooted in love, solidarity, and a focus on complete liberation.
