Poly Viewing of "Brave Girl Rising" with Producer Martha Adams on Monday, September 16

The Polytechnic School’s  Global Initiatives Program hosted a screening of "Brave Girl Rising" with producer Martha Adams on Monday, September 16. The movie revolves around a seventeen-year old girl named Nasro, and was made in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee with the support of Citi and HP. Filmed in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya, which is one of the largest refugee camps in the world, “Brave Girl Rising” is a story of Nasro’s  struggles to get an education in spite of her bleak circumstances. Her desire to be the best student she can be in a community where survival is a daily struggle, she dreams of her deceased mother, who provides her with a symbol of inner strength to inspire other girls. 

Nasro’s story highlights the struggles that millions of girls face daily in getting an education, such as getting to and from school safely due to sexual violence, issues with exploitation and harassment, economic hardship and cultural norms that make women bear the brunt of household chores such that there is little time for school or homework, the high degree of mortality such that many children are without parents, and resource scarcity resulting in girls spending the majority of their time waiting for water from undependable and erratic sources.

Written as a story in five parts with a script by poet laureate Warsan Shire, and voiced by Tessa Thompson and Golden Globe winner David Oyelowo, the film uses an engaging cinematographic style, uncharacteristic of many documentaries. The editing and the quality of the artistic cinematography are done with great care, in order to emphasize the importance of the subject matter. Although a documentary, “Brave Girl Rising” is also an ethereal work of art.

As a Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab Senior Fellow at USC and Girl Rising Chief Creative Officer, Ms. Adams creates powerful documentaries to give a voice to those who are often silenced. Her work is driven by her desire to make deep and lasting global change for the betterment of communities worldwide through the power of educating girls. In her Q&A after the movie, she cited statistics regarding how women’s education levels are on the rise, and how these changes are improving the living standards for everyone in those communities. 

The movement towards increasing female education levels is on an upward trend, and Ms. Adams hope that this will continue. She talked about ways that communities can help educate girls, giving an example of a club in Kenya where brothers make a pledge to support their sisters’ education by helping with housework and by ensuring their safety to and from school. In closing, Ms. Adams reminded us to be grateful for the access we have to education, and to use our education, skills and talents to bring both light to and solutions to the pressing issues facing our generation.

Thank you Saya and Luisa, for  moderating this event!

For more information, see: https://girlrising.org/brave/about 

Quotes about the film:

“At a moment when 68.5 million people are displaced worldwide, around half of whom are women, this film brings much-needed awareness to the challenges faced by women and girls in crisis,'' said Nicole Behnam, Senior Director for Violence Prevention and Response at the IRC. “Campaigns like this ensure the most vulnerable women are part of the global conversation, and show the importance of prioritizing their safety, education and wellbeing. The IRC is proud to support and empower girls like Nasro around the world, so that they can recover from violence and take control of their lives.”

“We want to get people talking about the reality for refugee girls all over the globe, the barriers they face in securing basic human rights and the truly transformative power of education for girls living as refugees,'' said Christina Lowery, CEO of GR. "We believe films like ours can turn bystanders into activists and we have seen first-hand the results of people who become engaged in the issue and are inspired to act."

“This film is shining a light on the personal struggles and experiences of one refugee, which reflect that of many worldwide,” said Ed Skyler, Citi’s Executive Vice President of Global Public Affairs. “Citi is proud to support the work of GR to bring this awareness and action in support of girls and gender equality, while also continuing to partner with IRC and others to come up with solutions to this challenging issue.”