This 45-second PSA, produced by Bahrain Woman's Association - Human Development, intercuts legal articles with dramatizations to highlight the injustice of a law that refuses mothers the right to pass their citizenship to their children. The PSA begins with a text plate: Citizens are
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equal before the lawthere shall be no discrimination among them on the basis of sex (Article 18). The first dramatization pictures a young mother holding her infant son in a dimly lit room. A womans voice echoes her thoughts- If my son were a citizen, he would have health care. The next text plate states - Every citizen is entitles to health care (Article 8). A scene illustrates a mother greeting her grown daughter as she arrives home from school with a graduation certificate. A voice echoes the daughters aspirations - Mom, I graduated. I want to go to Medical School. The mother smiles and turns sad If only she had citizenship The third text plate states - The state also guarantees educational and cultural services to its citizens. (Article 7). The next scene pictures a disappointed man sitting on the floor in a shadowed room If he was a citizen he could have a job, the narration continues. The next legal article reads - The state guarantees the provision of job opportunities for its citizens. (Article 13B). The final scene pictures the woman whose daughter aspires to go to University, advocating to the viewer directly- Its my right to give my nationality to my children. The next shot reveals that the woman is standing with her daughter and her hands are on her shoulders. The daughter reaches her hand to join her mothers. The PSA ends with a text plate advertising the phone number to call Bahrain Womans Association Human Development.
Directors: Fahima Rafiee & Eman Kadhem Alasfoor / Emails: fahima_rafiee@hotmail.com / ealasfoor@yahoo.com
Music: Nabeel Bahy
This PSA is available upon request, in English & Arabic to broadcasters and organizations who wish to distribute it rights-free.
Background:
From April 12 May 3, 2009, Alison Fast & Chandler Griffin of Barefoot Workshops led a three-week program in Manama, teaching Bahraini organizations how to write, shoot, produce, and edit Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to raise awareness about important social issues. Nine PSAs were produced on such topics as: womens access to IT, women participation in the 2010 national elections, domestic abuse, illiteracy, and youth empowerment.
The aim of the workshop was to foster greater civic participation, activism and debate by teaching civil society organizations how to create messages that can improve their societies from within. This program was funded by the United States Government Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).
Please contact: info@barefootworkshops.org for more information.
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