Thursday, April 30, 2009

SAT-7 ARABIC launches new campaign to improve the status of women


New programme series focuses on female-headed households. Through 26 documentaries from Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco, women who are the sole providers for their children, their siblings or their parents tell their stories. The series is called: “And I am not ‘just’ a woman.” The first documentary will be on air on 5 May.

Juliana Sfeir, SAT-7 Lebanon, is the producer for the series. She says “I feel compelled to raise the banners of justice for these women, because I, personally, have been marked by the injustices of a chauvinistic society. Only those who have experienced society’s negative gaze, and how hard it is for such women to stand alone, bending under the heavy yoke of everyday life... can understand what these women face day after day. This is my platform to raise their voice ... to tell the world that they are not just women. They are heroes who deserve the salute of a warrior. This project was initially developed from my Master degree’s thesis film. Thanks to SAT-7, it developed into a much wider visionary project, thus becoming a greater campaign covering three major Arab and North African countries.

The documentaries are part of a larger media campaign, which also includes a number of awareness-raising spots. Later this year a live talk show on the same subject will be launched.

Through this campaign, which is funded by partners in Scandinavia, SAT-7 ARABIC wants to raise awareness about the rights of women, and give hope of a better life for female heads of households in the Middle East and North Africa.

Contact : DavidHarder@sat7.org