Documentaries for Peace
As part of our Youth and Creative Conflict Transformation project in Nepal, we are working in partnership with youth across Nepal to produce a series of video documentaries that will highlight the important role youth can play in building peace. The resulting five documentaries will be aired on Nepali television and in public screenings attended by politicians and government workers.
In July, the first workshop in video documentary production took place. Attended by youth from the youth groups we are working with in Kailali, Rukum, Morang, Makwanpur and Kaski, the group spent 5 days learning new skills in video production and editing. During the next 12 months these youth will document their own journey throughout the project - from training in conflict transformation, conducting their own research on conflict issues and how they as youth can have a positive role in transforming violence to the street theatre productions they will use to highlight the issues that are most important to them and their communities.
Our local partner, CWIN delivered the training. CWIN itself produces a weekly TV show for youth which focuses on children and youth issues. The youth we worked with have high hopes for the training - they hope that their new skills and the films they produce will help them to have a bigger say in the peace process as well as gaining professional skills they can use in later in life.
Why film?
Documenting the way in which dialogue between youth and local leaders is facilitated by the youth themselves will highlight to other youth that this kind of interaction is possible. The documentaries will also be a practical way to introduce a youth perspective on conflict and peace issues to a wider audience. We have high hopes for the youths documentaries and are planning to screen them on national Nepali TV.
In November, RTC Programme Coordinator Becky Wherrell visited Kailali in Nepal's Far Western Development Region. Whilst there she met with Sita and Niraj from Motherland Youth Group who attended the video production training in July. In preparation for a workshop on conflict transformation, Sita and Niraj were planning a filming schedule.
"As youth we want to express to others and spread awareness of how we can be a part of dealing with these conflicts. Through making documentaries and especially street theatre we can do this and spread to other communities and even wider what the conflict issues are in our community and how it can be resolved."
Each district group will be supported by RTC and CWIN as they prepare and film the documentaries, and we are both committed to enabling youth to engage in political dialogue on the issues that effect them. It is an arduous process - but we are hopeful that the resulting documentaries and our ongoing work supporting youth in Nepal will have a profound effect in highlighting the positive role youth can play in building a peaceful future for themselves and others.