CSBR hosted the first national digital storytelling workshop in Indonesia, on the theme of “Faith & Sexuality”, in partnership with the Youth Interfaith Forum on Sexuality (YIFoS), Kampung Halaman, and GAYa NUSANTARA.
The workshop brought together 15 participants representing grassroots organizations and collectives working on issues ranging from women’s rights, political participation, and religious pluralism, to digital rights, sex worker rights, sexual and gender diversity, and youth empowerment. Over the five days we explored themes of faith & sexuality, to create narratives that explore lived realities and perspectives on questions of faith, gender, sexuality, diversity, pluralism, secularism and human rights.
Method
Through the workshop, each participant learned the art of story-telling through training delivered by Kampung Halaman, as well as the technical skills of open-source video, audio & photo editing software. The workshop was conducted in Bahasa Indonesia to ensure the most accessible, supportive space for learning and self expression amongst participants. At the beginning of the workshop, some participants were completely unfamiliar with computers before the workshop, others had mid-range skills–yet in the course of 5 days everyone produced a short film about a personal struggle and screened it to the group.
It was healing, empowering, and cathartic process for all. The discussions and stories translated into tangible shifts in people’s perpectives, including greater attention to ending violence against women, support for LGBT communities, inter-faith solidarity around people’s struggles for acceptance.
Follow Up
Together we had wanted to create stories to amplify narratives & perspectives in support of freedom of expression, freedom of religion, diversity, pluralism and human rights. We reached out six months after the workshop to find out how participants had been able to use their videos as tools for community engagement. Within one month, some participants had shown the videos to their families to open up conversations on their identities. Others had shown it to community members to encourage dialogue on sensitive topics. One participant was even able to raise funds to hold a new digital storytelling workshop for women survivors of violence in rural areas. Seven participants also agreed to share their stories with us as a public resource, which you can watch below!
The pilot project of Stories of Faith & Sexuality was made possible through a grant from the Love Fund.
________________
Stories of Faith & Sexuality
Aku Amek
Mujahidah!
Like the Earth
Becoming Lulu
Doa Ibu | Mother’s Prayer
Knowledge = Freedom
