About

Women of Waalo                       

a documentary-animation film on female leadership, voices of protest and change in Senegal – 50 mins.


sketch Machteld Aardse

Aida Grovestins – film director – (‘Diamond Dust’ – documentary film, giving an inside look into the closed world of the diamond trade in Antwerp | Dutch and Belgian TV (VPRO, CANVAS), kIDFA filmfestival; ‘Nina Kalpeta – Holodomor – Ostarbeiter’ | 1 hour radio-documentary, Dutch Radio-1 (VPRO)
Machteld Aardse – multi-media artist/painter – (‘The Island-movie’ – about the artist-ecologist Le Roy, TCAC Taiwan | Women’s Art Festival in Syria | Museum het Rembrandt huis | De Nederlandsche Bank)

Supported by Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst 

Logline

A call for change, a rush to the defense of democracy and the first time a woman runs for president.

Short Introduction

For the first time a woman is running for president in Senegal. Amidst political turmoil, rage, and protests by a large youth movement led by rappers, this woman, Amsatou Sow Sidibé, takes it upon herself to put up the battle to bring back justice and break with the current political system. The ultimate act of resistance against oppression of her great grandmothers, the queen-warriors of Waalo, is still an inspiration to most Senegalese today: ‘Il faut se battre jusqu’au bout’ [one should fight for ones cause right up to the very end].

WHY THIS FILM?

The film is about female leadership, voices of protest and grassroots defense of  democracy. Our subject is a woman who reminds people that real change can only come by taking up the responsibility yourself, to fight for the communal good and show solidarity until the very end. Even when this is seemingly against all odds.

More and more women in Africa are striving to create more sustainable and peaceful societies. The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to three women’s rights activists and female leaders, two of which were African, is just one illustration of this trend. Our film can be instrumental in enhancing our understanding of how these female ‘cathedral builders’ are working to build a new kind of leadership. It shows their successes and failures and how they inspire others to follow their example. The film is the first of a series of us about “Women’s stories of resistance and empowerment”, as supported by the Webster University.

WOMEN OF WAALO – a documentary-animation film

INTRODUCTION
In the midst of the political and social turmoil that has captured Senegal in the past year, Amsatou Sow Sidibé decides to run as a candidate for the presidential elections, in order to say no to the decay and injustice that Senegal is slipping into under incumbent president Abdoulaye Wade. While a group of rappers ‘Y’en a Marre’ and a strong civil society movement venture into the streets to manifest against the misuse of power of its president, this woman presents herself against the odds of the cultural codes of her country: ‘a woman can’t be number one’, is what is mostly heard all around in the streets of its cities and villages before Sow Sidibé starts her campaign. She has to compete against 13 candidates. As an independent candidate she has barely any money to hold a proper campaign. Instead of holding big campaign rallies, rushing through the country with a caravan of 4WDs as her well-to-do competitors do – she enters peoples’ homes, ventures into the back alleys of the suburbs and visits the working class of women all over the country.

This film will picture Amsatou Sow Sidibé in the midst of the hectic pace of the political campaign up to the elections on 25 March 2012, in which the rough tensions underlying daily and political life in Senegal are felt severely, resulting at times into violent riots. We follow Amsatou Sow Sidibé during all stages of her candidacy and campaign and see how she, as an independent candidate, is barely able to hold a proper campaign, but still is a candidate of hope to many people because she has clean hands. We are there during her public appearances all over the country, behind the scenes and in her home.

Amsatou Sow Sidibé is a highly regarded persona in high official circles in Senegal and abroad as a lawyer/mediator in peace negotiations between the people and the government. Sow Sidibé is a professor of Law and Human Rights at the University of Dakar. Many students and academics all over Senegal have followed her law courses at the University in Dakar for at least one or two years. In November 2011, she was nominated Ambassador of Peace by a committee of the UN, for her endeavours in this field. But can this intellectual, cosmopolitan woman also appeal to the broader public in Senegal, and does her message also resonate there? Even though Sow Sidibé knows she has little chances of winning the elections, her deep felt anger and also sadness about the overall inequality and injustice in society and the incompetence of the government makes her continue.

Amsatou Sow Sidibé: “The social values of our Republic are no longer respected”, she says, “The Constitution and the law are being tampered with.” As a lawyer and a judge, this shocks me.” (dec2011)

POLITICAL RAPS & TALKING DRUM

By following Amsatou Sow Sidibé we will meet and cross paths with other ‘voices of protest’ and other women leaders, such as the rappers of the main youth protest movement, ‘Y’en a Marre’ (we are fed up) who are leading the manifestations against the third term aspirations of President Wade.

News clips and critical lyrics by ‘Y’ en a marre’ are part of the visuals and soundtrack of the film. They form another commentary layer on the Senegalese political situation in general and Amsatou Sow Sidibé in particular. Traditional rhythms of the small ‘tama’ drum, a “talking drum”, by famous percussionist Assane Thiam, will also be part of the soundtrack. The special rhythms connect the traditional way of communication about peace, war and the call for convocations with Senegal’s current political life during the election period.

The traditional rhythms of the small ‘tama’ drum by famous percussionist Assane Thiam will be part of the soundtrack. The special rhythms connect the traditional way of communication about peace, war and the call for convocations with Senegal’s current political life during the election period.

DRAWN ANIMATIONS combined with FILM SCENES

The drawn animations by Machteld Aardse blend the filmed reality and filmed storyline with an extra layer of observations and reflections on (the lack of) leadership, (mis-)use of power, resistance, empowerment, courage and solidarity. The animations can consist of pure scratched lines, colors and/or images on top of a filmed scene or a short animation in itself, as is seen in the beginning and the end. The tool and form of animations will be used scarcely, only to accentuate or evoke what would otherwise remain untold.

The “scratched drawings”, as Aardse calls them, are rough, expressive and direct in style, mainly done with charcoal pencil, white crayon and a little use of color pencil. For the images with a lot of intensity, such as burning of fire, also color will be added with crayons. The style connects with the expressive drawn and process-made animations of the South African artist William Kentridge.

 MOTIVATION

‘Women of Waalo’ is a character driven film, in which we critically research new tendencies in female leadership in West Africa and see how it functions. As a case study we follow the female presidential candidate of Senegal – Amsatou Sow Sidibé – up to the elections on 25 March 2012. In relation to this we are examining as well new upcoming tendencies in leadership and civil resistance against the abuse of power in Senegal. Meanwhile we research the historical roots and sources of female leadership and resistance in this West-African country through the legacy of the ‘Women of Waalo’, that still plays an important role in the collective memory of the people of Senegal. The film will be finished in the second half of 2012, far after the elections of March. Therefore it cannot be seen as a promotional film for the presidential campaign of Amsatou Sow Sidibé.

In the film, we study the role that African women play nowadays as possible agents of change. It is a long process. Creating more sustainable and peacefull societies isn’t something that can be done overnight. It takes many steps. It is a series of choices and decisions that must be fought for. African women are increasingly getting involved as mediators in peace and anticorruption talks which have run aground. They negotiate for peaceful leadership and development in defiance of political, ethnic and class differences. Amsatou Sow Sidibé is one of them. The shared frustrations felt by women have built up over decades of observing male African leaders, who sometimes plunge their nations into armed conflict, and stubbornly prolong the turmoil through corruption. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia is the first female president of Africa. She has been elected by the active support of women’s peace groups. The stories of the battles of women like these often remain unexposed. We consider film an important tool to bring these stories to the attention of a wide international public, including via mobile cinema in West Africa. It is also important to show to policy makers in politics, in NGOs and international organizations.

At the same time the active civil and youth protest movements that contested and contest actively and consistently the misuse of power of its countries political leaders before and during the elections in Senegal shows a clear link with the civil resistance movements of the Arabic Spring. This makes the film extra interesting and important.

WHY CROWD FUNDING NOW?

When the change was happening in Senegal, we were there with our camera and pencils to document this until the presidential elections of February/March 2012 in Senegal. We are proud that we reached our first funding goal. To get our film started we raised an amount of nearly €30.000 euro, through live crowdfunding presentations, and through official crowdfunding websites like the American ‘IndieGoGo’, and the Dutch‘ Cinécrowd.nl’.

Our new crowdfunding goal is: to finance the making of the film, including editing and animating (drawing and digital). The Amsterdam Art Fund (Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst) is our first big supporter, and we would invite you to support us in the beautiful making of the film. For every donation you will receive something in return as mentioned below.

Meanwhile we will work with a Dutch film producer to apply for official film funds to get the larger amounts with which we will be able to fund our whole film; from production, to filming, to editing and post-production and to sell our film to Dutch and international TV broadcasting companies and distributors, as well as international film and animation festivals.

PLANNING

  • July – September 2011: one research, filming and drawing trip to Senegal; design multimedia website www.women of waalo.com, crowdfunding meetings/ presentations;
  • Januari 2012 – February 2012: drawing and filming during the presidential campaign of Sow Sidibé in Senegal;
  • April – July 2012: film montage.
  • In the end of 2012, the film will première on television, at film festivals and travel through mobile cinema in West Africa. The drawings and animations will be exhibited and used as a tool of education at schools in Senegal, as well as during the mobile cinema tours. A book with the drawings and the DVD of the film will be published by Kanjil Publishers, Paris.

Want to become a friend of WOMEN OF WAALO?

Donations can be made to: Stichting A.D.A.P.T. – ‘crowd funding WOW’ Triodos Bank, account nr.: 198542089

 

TO OUR FRIENDS AND DONORS

Thank you very much for supporting the making of ‘WOMEN OF WAALO’. By becoming a friend of the film we’ll send you a digital download of the finished film when it is released and we’ll keep you up to date with regular news of the movie’s progress through newsletters and the film’s website.

In return for your donation, we offer you – apart from a stunning and interesting film – for:

  • €  50,-: DVD + online access to the film
  • € 100,- : two premiere cards, DVD & party event following the screening
  • € 500,- to € 1000,-: your name or company logo on DVD + credits + premiere tickets

AND / OR

A DVD + a drawing of your choice by Machteld Aardse:

  • €  100,-: pencil drawing
  • €  500,-: color pencil drawing
  • € 1000,-: gouache painting
  • € 3000,-: original drawings from the film
  • € 5000,-: signed book with all drawings from the film, Kanjil Publishing, Paris

Aida Grovestins (1970) is an independent film maker in Amsterdam. After 13 years of journalism for Dutch public current affairs programs, her first documentary film ‘Diamond Dust’ was broadcast by Dutch TV (VPRO) in 2009 and by Belgian TV (CANVAS) in 2010. It premiered at the kIDFA film festival in Amsterdam in 2010. Under her company name Crossroads Docs, she produces, researches and directs film and radio documentaries. In March 2011, her radio documentary “Nina Kalpeta – Holodomor – Ostarbeiter” was broadcast by VPRO­Radio-1: ‘a moving portrait of a Ukrainian woman who survived the Great Famine in the Ukraine, only to be sent later by the Nazis as a so-called ‘Ostarbeiter’ (‘labor worker’) to Germany. In 2005 Aida Grovestins travelled to Congo Brazzaville to make a film in assignment of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on the knowledge and application of the International Law of War, amongst both Congolese rebels in the Pool-district and regular army members.

Aida Grovestins studied Political Science, International Relations (Major) and History (Bachelors) at the University of Amsterdam and Art History at the Sorbonne in Paris.

Machteld Aardse (1972) is an artist in Amsterdam. In her work she uses various media including drawing, video and performance. Aardse: “I’ll go out and look for the confrontation with my subject. I am an inclusive artist not just a spectator. The complex relationship between power and powerlessness and different world views with its specific connections and short circuits intrigues me.” After studying art history Machteld Aardse studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and got her Masters in Art at the Dutch Art Institute. Most of her work is realized in the public domain. She has exhibited at – among others – De Nederlandsche Bank, the New York Island Festival, Museum het Rembrandthuis Amsterdam, Museum Scheltema in Leiden (Netherlands), Women’s Art Festival in Aleppo, Syria.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Crossroads Docs – STUDIO
Haarlemmerhouttuinen 167
1013 GM Amsterdam
KvK: 3420207

Aida Grovestins
aida.grovestins @ gmail.com
www.crossroadsdocs.com

Machteld Aardse
machteldaardse @ planet.nl
www.machteldaardse.nl

Supported by Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst