This weekend I was fortunate to see two shows that starred two of the most vulnerable life forms: young girls in third world nations and animals.
This is not said glibly or as a compliment or aspersion to either group, but as recognition of how the need to protect and nurture is so much a part of what we must do today and everyday.
Girl Rising is a fantastic film made by 10x10, part of the Documentary Group, helmed by journalist Kacey Freed Jennings. This documentary made over many years explores the lives of several young girls with lives that range in toughness from near starvation to sexual abuse to absurdly early marriage. But the one thing they all have in common is the need to keep being educated, so that this downward spiral can turn on itself, giving them the chance to really change their lives and the lives of those around them. Studies have shown that statistically girls who are educated raise the GNP of their home country, control the spread of sexual diseases, have fewer early pregnancies and bring hope and inspiration to their families and other young girls.
It is hard to pick one story over another, but the young girl in India, living on the street with her family, has dreams of the country. With money earned by real sweat, her father feeds her artistic dreams, buying her a coloring book so that she'll study hard in school and have an outlet for her hopes. It stood out, particularly because we see a good man in action, in service to his daughter. Much of the events I attended at the UN's marvelous conference on gender violence were short on male audiences and it began to feel as if women and men live in separate worlds. What Girl Rising succeeds at is not only not vilifying men, but showing how they too can be part of this necessary change for social justice.
Each of the subjects wins our hearts with their open, inquisitive faces and minds. They are gentle and they are strong and they deserve a chance to fulfill their hopes. Without education, there is little opportunity for these girls to get out of dark places so many third world young women end up.
As directed by Richard Robbins, writers from the home countries of each of the girls help fill out their personal stories, that include dance and poetry and as in the story of the young girl in Cairo, terrific animation, making her harrowing tale, digestible and even more powerful.
The marketing strategy for the film is extremely community based. One has only to contact Gathr Films and suggest a screening of the film in their hometown. The Gathr group will contact a local cinema, making this extraordinary film available to even the most remote audiences.
Unlike many films on the shocking injustices of our planet, I left the SVA theatre feeling renewed in my belief that good change is possible and that we have the tools to implement it, not only for our own lives, but those as close to us as a breath.
For a completely different experience, I watched Popovich Comedy Pet Theatre, a Russian troupe of clowns, acrobats and pets. That the highly skilled Gregory Popovich's juggling was more astonishing than the tight rope walking pussy cat made little difference to the pleasure of the many children and their parents. Knowing from my own dog how hard it is to get her to move over on the sofa, it was adorable to see dogs pushing firetrucks and rescuing kitties from a "burning" building. Popovich shared with us that all the dogs and cats in his entourage are rescued animals, given a second chance at life as performers. That went down well with the audience. Popovich said that he tried to find the special talent in each animal and let that skill be their own star move -- like one cat who could jump high naturally and a poodle who was quite adept on her tippy-toes.
It was a beautiful spring weekend and one that personally gave me hope that we are becoming more compassionate, despite the struggles of living today and the fears that flood our minds. If a young girl in Nepal can break the chains of slavery, another in Ethiopa be spared a marriage at age 11 by her kind brother and a lost terrier be given a home -- in the circus -- well, something must be right.