Named by Newsweek in 2011 as one of the 150 Women Who Shake the World, and recipient of the prestigious 2010 Vital Voices Fern Holland Global Leadership Award, renowned Samburu activist and leader, Rebecca Lolosoli, founder of the first women’s only village of Umoja, in Kenya, (over 25 years ago), has been working to empower women throughout the region, often at great risk to her own safety.
Now she faces her greatest challenge – attempting to end the decades-long conflict between rival tribes in the region. Rebecca continues to be a trailblazer, organizing and bringing women together who are ‘fed up’ with the violence and loss of life, so they can have their voices heard in the peace process that has so far been dominated by men.
Filming for our feature documentary, Rebecca’s Story began in earnest in January 2018, in the northern Rift Valley of Kenya. As our story progresses, we are drawn into the life of this remarkable woman who has stood up to abusive, misogynistic cultural practices, often at risk to her own life. We see Rebecca working and advocating for basic human rights for all women and children in the region and and we learn that because of this, she has had to endure harassment, beatings and death threats. We also learn along the way the forces that have shaped her and have brought her to where she is today – a fierce and courageous leader who provides a first-person account of how she has overcome the odds to see the positive changes beginning to take place among her people and this ancient culture struggling with modernity and survival.
Our character-driven narrative is interwoven with other interviews, archival footage, and animation, providing context for these struggles and deepening our understanding. And our camera follows Rebecca (in vérité style) as she, along with other tribal women, continue the peace process in an area that is often ringed in conflict. As filmmakers, we bear witness to those who have come together in an attempt to find solutions towards lasting peace. Failure is no longer an option for the people of the Rift Valley.
Writer/Director: Lili Campbell
Director of Photography: Van Royko, CSC
Sound Recordist: Emory Murchison
Head Animator: Lee Travaglini
Borana, Turkana and Samburu Women at Peace Conference
(Village of Umoja, Kenya, January 2018)
