<< Some of the installations have disturbing
messages that document oppression. One
haunting wall graphic displays silhouettes
of women standing in line beneath a tree.
Kristof recounted a trip to Congo where he
asked to speak to a rape victim in a camp of
displaced women. One was brought under a
tree for privacy to tell her story. Ten minutes
later a long line formed. “We’re all rape victims,” explained the woman in front. “We
are waiting to tell our stories.”
Another wall is covered with thousands of
colored dots in a wave-like pattern representing a portion of the estimated sixty million women missing worldwide as a result of
factors including human trafficking, female
genital mutilation, slavery, and prostitution. We may think that these disappearances occur on the other side of the globe,
but in fact, dots are contributed to this wall
from LA, according to organizations like
the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) which documents women in
LA held in underground or brought to the
US under false pretenses who are living as
modern-day versions of indentured servants
or even slaves.
While atrocities against women are presented, Half the Sky evocatively highlights
significant numbers of women have become
powerful agents of change in their communities, finding opportunity through collectively joining in service.
In these stories we see how even small efforts can transform lives, such as that of
Saima Muhammad from Pakistan who lived
in fear of her abusive husband. Her community ignored her suffering until she received
a $65 microloan which she then invested in
growing an embroidery business that now
employs thirty families in her village – including her husband.
Kristof explains, “Women can be the key
to uplifting families and even communities
out of poverty. You can’t just develop an
economy if you are only using half your
resources” (since women make up approximately half of the world’s population,
hence, women are half our human resources). Kristof says that women are not appreciated economically and this devaluation is
used to as a tool of oppression and control.
One method of empowering women is to
provide opportunities to create businesses,
such as Saima Muhammad.
The growth and impact of micro-finance
(which includes lending, investing, and
even saving) is emphasized in this exhibition through both stories and the ability of
visitors to directly participate in fund distribution. An interactive computer-based
installation allows visitors to choose recipients of $1 microloans in a joint venture
with JoinFITE (Financial Independence
through Entrepreneurship, a program powered by Kiva.org and Dermalogica) and the
Another evocative installation is created by
multimedia artist Ben Rubin, who recorded the voice of a Rwandan woman singing a traditional lullaby. She speaks for all
women whose voices were often silenced.
Through the lyrics, she is giving courage
that we may all carry on despite their fears:
Listen carefully my children
I gave my love to you.
Promise me, all of you,
Wherever you will go
Let it be your light, days and nights
May nothing scare you, have no fear
knowing well that this is your time
I will not leave you alone, I will stay with
you, I will take care of what troubles you, I
will provide for you.
Do not be afraid.
The words from this Rwandan woman’s
voice moved me to tears. We as women
need to pull together and be open and
kind with one another. We have the power
though our unconditional love for one another to uplift, inspire, and overcome the
suffering in our lives. It is in our sisterhood
we find support and courage to face dark
In these words, I felt the pain not only
of these women, but also the voice of my
mother, whom I lost to cancer a few years
ago. After her death, I turned for healing to the love of my two amazing sisters
as well as my Yoga practice, filming the
documentary Yoga Is to uplift others in
difficult times. I heard my mother’s voice
telling me in those words that she will always be there for me, and her love will
be the guiding light that breaks all barriers in my life. Walking through the exhibition, connected to women around the
world, I was reminded that we are all
capable of sharing this support with a
joined sisterhood and a commitment to
the small and everyday ways we can be of
service to each other in a world of opportunity.
Women Hold up Half the Sky runs through
March 11, 2012, at the Skirball Cultural
Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles.
Suzanne Bryant is a journalist and documentary filmmaker whose film YOGA IS premiered in 2011: Yogais.com