Abantu Visions, a Tanzanian film production company has released ‘Unsung Heroines’ - a pilot documentary series that celebrates African female leaders beyond slavery, colonialism and indeed liberation across the continent.
Three strong ladies
In the three first episodes we will follow the history and the life of the Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the Kenyan Peace Prize Winner Wangari Mathai and the runner Maria de Lourdes Mutola from Mozambique.
Based on events, experiences and other occasions, which have shaped these women to be what they are today, the film series seeks to empower the youth in gender issues and able them to perceive the portrayed women as inspiration for a future.
’Unsung Heroines’ is scheduled to be shown in April 2008 on the newly launched SABC International. Each episode has a length of 30 minutes and will be presented by Angelique Kidjo.
Seeks to motivate the youth
The documentary film series is based on the fact that few African women are key government decision makers and the assumption that there still exists a reluctance to accept women as fully participants in the creation of knowledge and wealthy.
- By telling the stories of African Women Leaders, ‘Unsung Heroines’ raises awareness of African women as successful and influential inhabitants. We see this film series as a tool to empower the youth in gender issues, to inspire and motivate them to work hard for what they believe in and to fight against gender bias, discrimination, corruption and poverty, says the Norwegian Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr. Jon Lomøy.
The pilot series of ‘Unsung Heroines’ has been made with the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Tanzania and the Swiss Development Cooperation Offices in Tanzania, South Africa and Switzerland.
See footages from the series here: http://africanfemaleleaders.com/indexWMV.html