MÉBÉT School Screenings: St John's School for the Deaf, The Gambia
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Our films are not only meant to inspire, but also to make a positive change through an ongoing conversation. Our latest film MÉBÉT focuses on the negative effects of child marriage on girls, communities and families.
Child marriage has been illegal in The Gambia since 2016. However, the implementation of this legislation is weak. We must do more to ensure that our laws serve their purpose and provide the required protection.
SCHOOL SCREENINGS
What future do we want for girls around the world?
In The Gambia, more than 30% of girls are married off before their 18th birthday. That’s 1 in 3 girls. That’s 1 girl too many. Our goal is to take MÉBÉT to as many schools and communities as possible.
MÉBÉT may be fiction, but child marriage is a reality for millions of girls around the world. Children’s voices matter, and must be prioritised in efforts to end child marriage. We must listen to them, understand their needs, and support them to reach their fullest potential.
To realise this goal, we took MÉBÉT to five schools in the Greater Banjul Area in December 2019, as part of the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence. This outreach drive, funded by UNFPA The Gambia and implemented in partnership with Think Young Women, created the space for meaningful conversations on child marriage and gender-based violence, in general.
We hope to organise further screenings and reach even more children and adolescents. If you are interested in hosting a MÉBÉT screening and discussion session at your school, institution, or community, please contact us on rebelvzn@gmail.com.
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LATRIKUNDA UPPER BASIC SCHOOL
11 December 2019
We had an absolutely wonderful experience sharing MÉBÉT with students at the Latrikunda Upper Basic School.
We had a very interesting discussion on Gender-Based Violence, specifically focusing on child marriage. When adolescents and youth are aware of their rights and responsibilities, they can make informed choices.
ST JOHN’S SCHOOL
FOR THE DEAF
12 December 2019
Our MÉBÉT school tour continued at St. John’s School for the Deaf. The full film is subtitled, to ease access and understanding of the messages. We were thrilled to engage with the students to end child marriage.
We couldn’t have done this screening and the subsequent discussions without the support of the teachers from the school. Their sign language interpretation facilitated interesting discussions on child marriage and other forms of GBV. Great engagements! Excellent feedback! A shared desire to end this gross human rights violation.
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ST THERESA’S UPPER BASIC SCHOOL
13 December 2019
Our third screening was at St. Theresa’s Upper Basic School. The school tour keeps affirming the need for this film and the space we are creating for conversations to end child marriage. St. Theresa’s students were even asking for a MÉBÉT Part 2. We love a good challenge.
Each screening ends with a discussion round, and the pupils and tecahers at St. Theresa’s Upper Basic School led very inpiring engagements with our team.
SCREENING
CHARLES JOW MEMORIAL ACADEMY
18 December 2019
We were at Charles Jow Memorial Academy for the 4th screening in our school tour. Heated debates. Great conversation. We were welcomed by the Vice Principal, Mr Tamba, who shared examples of cases of child marriage. He also encouraged the students to engage fully in the discussions, and commit to end child marriage in a generation.
As usual, the post-screening engagement gave us life! This debate was a tough one, but signaled the need for the creation of more spaces to exchange ideas and learn from one another.
Children, adolescents and youth have a voice. They have the freedom to speak and share their ideas. We must continue to create the conducive spaces for them to engage and determine how they contribute to sustainable development.
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KADDIJATOU CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
21 December 2019
On our final screening day for this pilot project, we took the film to the children and adolescents at Kaddijatou Centre of Excellence. Screening the film there is symbolic for us! The Founder, Khadee'ja Fatty handled continuity for the film. We also had some of the kids from the centre as actors, and some contributed to the production of our original sound.
Over two weeks, we have hosted 5 screenings with more than 500 children and adolescents in the Greater Banjul Area, and have been inspired by the engagements and commitments made.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
We are always looking for new opportunities to reach out to the community
Please send us an email to rebelvzn@gmail.com in case you are interested in hosting a screening of MÉBÉT in your School, University or Community Centre.
MÉBÉT: Find out more about the film and our intentions behind it.
For more information read this article from UNFPA:
"Introducing #MÉBÉT the Movie: Inspiring a Generation to Take Action against Child Marriage"