Since June 2022 and under a project supported by Feminists in Action, the Burkina Faso-based association Taafé Vision has been training women in scriptwriting and short-film production.
Taafé Vision called for “women’s resilience” projects open to all women living in Burkina Faso, regardless of their background. The association received 17 scripts, each of which was reviewed with the assistance of a local women’s rights organization called Mouvement Citoyen Femin-In (women’s citizen movement).
Taafé Vision selected ten women for film production training and helped perfect their scripts.
LEARNING THROUGH A COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE
The selected women gathered in Ouagadougou in November 2022 to start their training sessions with Taafé Vision, which included scriptwriting basics, film editing, shooting techniques, production, and ways to sensitize viewers on gender issues through film writing. Besides teaching technical skills, the training sessions offered by Taafé Vision were also an excellent opportunity for the women to reflect on their perceptions of gender-based violence and to discuss women’s representation in the Burkinabè society.
In February 2023, the group attended a scriptwriting workshop in Ziniaré funded by CANAL+ Burkina Faso, an essential step in polishing their scripts. They collectively reworked their ideas over a week while brainstorming and supporting each other in a spirit of sisterhood (i.e., by working on each other’s scripts).
Finally, Taafé Vision picked one script for production. The main criterion for the short film was to have an uplifting lead character that embodies resilience.
Au pied du mur
In collaboration with the project’s coordinators, Taafé Vision chose the script by Délia Eboubié Yasmine IDO, Au pied du mur, which translates as “Up against the wall.” It tells the story of 17-year-old Marietou (the eldest of three siblings), whose hand was promised in marriage to a local guru by her deeply traditional mother before her birth. Marietou refuses to give up on her dreams and settle for a marriage she has not chosen, despite risking her own life. Unfortunately, Marietou’s story is the tale of many girls in Burkina Faso, despite the country’s laws against forced marriage.
Although the script by Délia Eboubié Yasmine IDO is the only story selected for production, the nine other women carried on their journey with Taafé Vision by participating in the shooting. Délia’s short film will be available in June 2023. To learn more about assocations’ work, go to the News section!