Spring Break
Jackson vocal on contents of 'Silence'
by Rachel Klein and Rebecca Klein
Arts | 11/4/08
Posted online at 12:51 AM EST on 11/4/08
Over 40,000 women and girls are estimated to have been raped in the conflict ridden zone of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And while most Brandeis students pride themselves on being worldly, there are many who remain ignorant of important issues like the atrocities that are occurring in the DRC.
On Thursday, Oct. 30, filmmaker Lisa Jackson held the Boston premiere of her documentary The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo in the Wasserman Cinematheque in the Sachar International Center. The documentary has gained much acclaim since it took the Special Jury Prize in Documentary at the Sundance Festival in 2008, which is given to only one documentary film. In addition, on April 8, 2008, the documentary premiered on HBO. The movie will also be shown in the DRC this year and will reach millions of Congolese viewers.
Jackson prefaced the showing of her film by saying, "You know that things are bad when The New York Times features the DRC two days in a row."
While her film does not focus on the current fighting occurring in the country, war is still a constant presence throughout the film as it chronicles Jackson's journey to southern DRC to document the stories of rape victims. The documentary was originally intended to be a smaller segment in a film on modern conflicts viewed through the lens of gender; however, once she began the process of interviewing rape survivors, Jackson found that the subject required a full-length film. Jackson covers many aspects of the situation, encompassing a broad range of topics as she interviews rape survivors, sex slaves, the doctors who treat them, the United Nations soldiers who are supposed to protect them and even rapists themselves.
Jackson brings a unique perspective to the story. As a survivor of a gang rape that occurred while she was in her mid 20s, Jackson was able to share her own story and encourage the women in the film to tell their own. All of the stories are extremely disturbing, and a few drew audible gasps of shock from the audience. However, as Jackson points out in her film, there is no pleasant way to talk about the situation. The reality of these women's lives, while unimaginable to those of us who live in the Western world, is only becoming more commonplace in the DRC. The women in the film explained that they are often subject to lifelong health issues like HIV. And while there are now groups where women can live together and share their stories with one another, some of the women in the film explained that they are not happy and did not want to have the children who were the result of pregnancies induced by the rape. Jackson also explained how children born into communities ridden with rape are surrounded by shame and violence for much of their life. In this way, a cycle is created, in which it is hard for them to beget peace.
On Thursday, Oct. 30, filmmaker Lisa Jackson held the Boston premiere of her documentary The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo in the Wasserman Cinematheque in the Sachar International Center. The documentary has gained much acclaim since it took the Special Jury Prize in Documentary at the Sundance Festival in 2008, which is given to only one documentary film. In addition, on April 8, 2008, the documentary premiered on HBO. The movie will also be shown in the DRC this year and will reach millions of Congolese viewers.
Jackson prefaced the showing of her film by saying, "You know that things are bad when The New York Times features the DRC two days in a row."
While her film does not focus on the current fighting occurring in the country, war is still a constant presence throughout the film as it chronicles Jackson's journey to southern DRC to document the stories of rape victims. The documentary was originally intended to be a smaller segment in a film on modern conflicts viewed through the lens of gender; however, once she began the process of interviewing rape survivors, Jackson found that the subject required a full-length film. Jackson covers many aspects of the situation, encompassing a broad range of topics as she interviews rape survivors, sex slaves, the doctors who treat them, the United Nations soldiers who are supposed to protect them and even rapists themselves.
Jackson brings a unique perspective to the story. As a survivor of a gang rape that occurred while she was in her mid 20s, Jackson was able to share her own story and encourage the women in the film to tell their own. All of the stories are extremely disturbing, and a few drew audible gasps of shock from the audience. However, as Jackson points out in her film, there is no pleasant way to talk about the situation. The reality of these women's lives, while unimaginable to those of us who live in the Western world, is only becoming more commonplace in the DRC. The women in the film explained that they are often subject to lifelong health issues like HIV. And while there are now groups where women can live together and share their stories with one another, some of the women in the film explained that they are not happy and did not want to have the children who were the result of pregnancies induced by the rape. Jackson also explained how children born into communities ridden with rape are surrounded by shame and violence for much of their life. In this way, a cycle is created, in which it is hard for them to beget peace.
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