Today I received feedback from my Radio
Production class regarding the oral exam/presentation we had to give at the
beginning of this term. One of the general themes which seemed to emerge was
that there was enough clarity on my choice of elective “Women in the Military”
and that I do not allow myself the chance to incorporate my identity into my
work. I took these comments in and sat for close to an hour mulling over these
aspects and asking myself questions as to why I am doing what I am doing? Why
women? Why the Military? What is my identity and how do I represent myself? So
here goes...
I am a coloured woman. I was born in a time
where I can study anywhere, use the same toilet as a white, Indian or black
person and kiss any guy I like not because of his skin colour but because of
his cute smile or his engulfing laugh. I have had to struggle, fight and work
damn hard to get where I am today. I believe that I am a feminist as I have no
issues with working one day while my husband buys groceries and cleans the
house. I am a strong and independent woman. I was raised by a mother, father,
grandmother, grandfather, stepmother, multiple aunties and a few uncles. I am a
product of my community’s efforts and for that I am forever grateful. This
afternoon saw me come up with these identifiers and I am satisfied with them.
Have they influenced my choice of elective? Definitely.
When I decided to choose an elective, I
remember saying to my lecturer, Jeanne, that I wanted to focus my sights on
gender roles being “switched”. Possible story ideas such as ‘Single Fathers’, ‘Women
in Military’ or ‘Women Who choose their career over a family’ interested me immensely
and after touching base with Jeanne, she recommended I choose one and focus on
it throughout. I chose ‘Women in Military’, and today, I found myself asking “why”
multiple times? I came up with two simple answers: I am interested in pursuing
stories which see women defying the set roles that society has created for them
and watching them succeed in these new and changing roles. The second reason: I
still believe that women are not truly equal in society and the Military proves
to be an excellent case study considering that men still dominate the SANDF
(South African National Defence Force) hands down. This is evident from the
women in 6 SAI I have interviewed thus far. It has been reassuring to know
though that the Defence Force is taking steps to change this- even if it is
still a distant vision.
I find myself interviewing these women and
letting them know that they may fight for our country as a whole but they are
also fighting for the rights of women. They are silent heros, deployed to
countries like Berundi, DRC or Sudan on Peace keeping missions. I had never
heard about their work until my time at 6 SAI. Then I wonder, is a month like “Women’s
Month” even necessary if we don’t pay tribute to these women? Then again, perhaps
we shouldn’t even have a Women’s Month at all as it shows that women are still
not fully appreciated as equal and therefore need a month to fight for what is
lacking. So a documentary highlighting these women’s roles in the service of
our country is needed to ensure that the conversation surrounding women’s
struggles continues until we can prove Captain Windvogel wrong when she says
that “Women will never be equal to men..”.
This blog post has taken a different stance
from my usual reflective processes regarding the interviews I conduct. It is my
chance to remind or rather keep questioning my decisions, a chance to make
myself responsible for the stories that I record and the manner in which I
choose to represent them. In representing them I have to also remain true to
what it is I stand for and I think that is what I need to not lose sight of-
the tension between the two and how I manage to make the two ends meet.
Nadia
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