by Jessica Mosby
– USA –
The most striking element of the new documentary Tapestries of Hope is not the hell that the young rape survivors profiled have lived through, but their unbreakable spirit. The film is a vibrant international call to action and a breathtaking portrait of hope in the face of overwhelming odds.
The WIP will be hosting a special screening of Tapestries of Hope on December 3, 2009 at the Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View, California. Director/producer Michealene Cristini Risley will be in attendance with the documentary’s principal subject Betty Makoni, founder of Girl Child Network (GCN).
In 2007 Risley, a sexual abuse survivor herself, traveled to Zimbabwe to film Makoni and the young rape survivors at the GCN. The girls – some as young as three years-old – are all victims of sexual abuse, motivated in large part by the belief that having sex with a virgin will cure a man of HIV/AIDS. This ideology is propagated by Zimbabwe’s traditional healers who tout the curative properties of virgin blood, a myth held in many parts of Africa.
In the economically and politically bankrupt country of Zimbabwe, young rape survivors are ostracized by their families after being victimized. Many contract HIV/AIDS and find themselves impregnated by their rapists. Makoni’s GCN is a beacon of hope for these girls to find support and realize their dreams through education.
For women, life in Zimbabwe is a constant barrage of abuse and obstacles. Genital mutilation is socially accepted and widespread. Basic necessities like new underwear and menstruation supplies are considered luxuries; monthly menstruation is so debilitating that it keeps many girls out of school because they lack necessary provisions. And yet, Makoni and the girls at GCN are testaments to the power of perseverance and hope for a better tomorrow.
While shooting on location, Risley and her assistant were arrested, imprisoned, and eventually deported by the authorities. Despite only being able to film in the country for a few weeks, the footage Risley captured – particularly interviews with rape survivors and admitted rapists alike – is an incredibly compelling 77 minutes.
In anticipation of The WIP’s screening, Risley and I spoke over the phone about the impetus for directing Tapestries of Hope, her recent meetings with the United States Congress to discuss legislation aimed at curbing international violence against women, and the inspiring resilience of the young Zimbabwean rape survivors she documents.
How did you come to make Tapestries of Hope?
Much of the last few years I’ve spent in women’s and children’s issues. The first film I did was on child sexual abuse, and we did the first national curriculum on child sexual abuse. That was a precursor to this movie. Then I did a book (This Is Not The Life I Ordered) with three friends where I tell my story of abuse. So, it is part of what I’m doing.
When I met Betty I had absolutely no desire to go to Zimbabwe because every time I go overseas I get some darn parasite. I didn’t want to go. I have three young kids, and I’m like, “I don’t want to go to Africa and get really ill.” When I met Betty, both of us were child abuse survivors and we connected in a very deep way.
It was so incredible because the first film I did on child sexual abuse [2003’s Flashcards]…won a number of awards and screened on PBS, but I could not get it placed anywhere in the United States. So I gave a copy to Betty to take back to Africa. She held it to her chest, like I’d just given her a bar of gold or a basket of food for the girls. She went back and got that movie everywhere in Africa. So much so that when I went there I literally walked into a halfway house [and] these girls were watching my movie.
[Betty and I] just connected. One of my friends, who had actually introduced us, when I told her I was going to send a crew over to Zimbabwe, she said, “Oh no, you’ve got to go over there.” I literally took some underwear for the girls and my assistant and a camera, and we left.
Now that the film has been released and there’s many screenings and it’s getting a lot of attention, what do you see as the future for these girls?
I see their future as very bright. For us, we want to create global awareness of what’s happening. Betty Makoni, myself and a number of people are going over there in the spring with goods and things we collect for the girls. [But] we’ll go to Botswana, not to Zimbabwe.
Also, we just finished [the film] maybe three weeks ago – totally, finally, done. And we’ve had some incredible responses. We went to Washington D.C. a couple weeks ago and showed the film to Congress. We also showed the film to the State Department. We actually ended up walking Capitol Hill and meeting with a number of senators and representatives on both sides of the aisle to talk about what was happening in Zimbabwe.
[There are] two pieces of legislation we’re hoping to help push forward. One of them is the International Violence Against Women Law. We sat down to talk about that. The second one is there is Zimbabwe legislation coming out of [Representative] Don Payne’s office, and it is basically legislation to put money on the ground in NGO hands – not into the government. That money would dramatically help support groups that can help women and children.
I don’t make political statements on it, but it’s staggering that the world community has allowed this to continue to happen.
Are you hoping to partner with a distribution deal to do an educational release with curriculum? I do see the film having a real future as outreach and advocacy, aside from a distribution deal in theaters and on DVD.
Absolutely! Absolutely! For me, we created this movie to change what’s happening. So if we’re going to create awareness without action items then we’ve failed.
My goal would be to get a distribution deal for this movie. We have some potential partners on this that could be areas [where] we could launch the film that would be the first time ever in those arenas. So, we’re really, really excited!
Every time you see the movie, it’s not just walking away feeling depressed or hopeless. It’s the same theme as the movie: here’s what you can do to make a difference. So many [action items] have nothing to do with money. Call your representative and say, “I want the Violence Against Women Act passed.” Call [whoever you can] and say, “This is not okay. How do we create global outreach?” How can we make simple action items so that people feel like they’re making a difference?
There are parts of the film that are very difficult to watch just because of the reality that people have to live this life. But to see the girls’ tenacity and how something as small as a new pair of underwear could make them so excited, there does seem to be a real message of hope in the film.
I hope so! That was my goal and I’m glad that you said that. I think it is about hope because in reality that’s all we have.
Join us in Mountain View, CA for a special screening of Tapestries of Hope.
To learn more, click here!
About the Author
Jessica Mosby is a writer and critic living in Oakland, California. In the rare moments when she’s not traveling across the United States for work, Jessica enjoys listening to public radio, buying organic food at local farmers markets, trolling junk stores, and collecting owl-themed tchotchke.
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