Readership for Learning and Development otherwise known as Soma has received funds from Women Fund Tanzania (WFT) to implement a Multimedia Feminist Storytelling, Documentation and Archiving project. This endeavor is meant to complement feminist herstory making efforts by the Wanawake Historia Yetu-Fahari Yetu Coalition coordinated by the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP), as a platform to steer feminist movement building efforts in the country. The project aims to test effective storytelling approaches that are to be deployed to document feminist movement building concerns and achievements with resounding reception by mainstream audiences and their gate keepers. As part of this venture, we are proud to announce the Hadithi Zetu Challenge.
The purpose of the Hadithi Zetu Challenge is to support the production of original creative works on feminist issues by young promising female Tanzanian storytellers. It is a research and creative project where the storyteller, using any creative form (genre) and media tool of their choice , must conduct their initial research in either Dar es Salaam, Dodoma or Shinyanga, areas where feminist activism is taking place led by a member of the Feminist Herstory Coalition. The research aspect of this challenge will allow the storyteller to follow the dynamics of these feminist organizations, which includes the changes, impacts, challenges and lived experiences as expressed and observed among individuals and relations at the grassroots level that are inclusive of women and men, girls and children, people and social governance institutions. This challenge particularly seeks to amplify voices and perspectives from young women that address the major political, social, and economic issues affecting African women in ways that are original, accessible, and engaging to a variety of audiences. The aim of this challenge is to produce works that will be attractive and ‘sellable’ to wider audiences, while propagating feminist ethos and a reimagined society in which unequal gender relations are unwelcome. Selected applicants will be creative individuals who can show reason to convince the selection jury that they can produce powerful works of creative expression that are relevant for transformative feminist movement building in Tanzania, while also appealing to the general public. Selected candidates will receive financial support from Soma to research and create original work over a 3-month period based on their own interpretation of the overall theme of this challenge. End products will also be subjected to a selection process whereby the best will be translated into a children’s piece.
Expected Outputs:
- Expected output will vary according to the medium used by the participant for the project in so far as it has potential for publishing or production for mass consumption through commercial producers and publishers.
- At the end of the challenge, Soma will ask the participants to submit a one-page report detailing the impact of the challenge on their work and collaborate with them to attempt to have their works distributed though mainstream producers and publishers.
Applicant Criteria:
- Applicants must be female and between 18 and 35 years old with an interest in researched and purposeful creative communication.
- Applicants do not need to currently be making a living from their creative products but rather must demonstrate that they have the ability to produce important and compelling original work that furthers the transformative feminist world view and ethos.
Timeline:
- All applications must be submitted no later than March 25, 2020 to thefeministarchivetz@yahoo.com. Any queries can be sent to that email address or you may reach Soma at +255673014071
- The challenge will last 3 months beginning from April 3, 2020 and ending officially on July 3, 2020.
Application Requirements:
We expect all applicants to submit three (3) documents—a CV, a portfolio with 2 previous works and a document whereby the following questions have been answered.
Answer the Following Questions/ Provide the Following Information:
- Personal info (max 200 words)
- Artistic profile that is inclusive of the applicant’s creative interest and the media tools she uses, with a link to at least two of her previous works, as well as a proposal explaining how she plans to implement this project if selected. Applicants must lay out what they propose to research and how they are going to approach it, with an additional explanation on how it contributes to the creative piece they intend to create (max 500 words)
- Applicants must also indicate their first and second choice of where they would prefer to conduct research (they must select between Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Shinyanga), and explain why they have listed the locations in a particular order (max 200 words)
- Applicants are also required to produce a timeline for each stage of implementation of their project and to explain what makes their proposed project relevant to transformative feminist movement building in Tanzania (max 300 words)
- Why is your topic important and how will it further the Multimedia Feminist Storytelling Challenge’s mission? (max 300 words)
- Where and on what mediums will you seek to publish your work? (max 300 words)
- How will this challenge help you and your personal career? (max 300 words)
- What difficulties do you expect to face during the challenge and how do you expect to overcome them? (max 300 words)
- What kind of support or mentorship would you expect from Readership for Learning and Development (Soma)? (max 300 words)