Amber Silva & Sara Tracogna

After attending Western University for four years, studying in the same undergraduate program but rarely crossing paths, the two were finally driven together when they enrolled in the same master’s program to study communications and journalism. In the summer of 2019, Amber and Sara went from classmates to colleagues as they were hired on as interns at the same women’s empowerment NGO in Mwanza, Tanzania. For three months they collaborated to create video content for the organization that ranged from short communications pieces to a documentary. Director Statement: “We want to acknowledge that our privileges as white foreigner filmmakers have significantly enabled us to capture this story. We understand that having the choice and ability to share this story is a privilege many Tanzanians do not have. As mzungu (white foreigners), we cannot and do not claim to understand the experience of being a woman in Tanzania. By working with local organizations and women’s groups, we aimed to collaboratively use our skills as filmmakers and their local knowledge to bring the personal stories of the women in the video to life.”