Entertainment can aid women’s empowerment: Beukes

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Understanding how entertainment works as a component of culture could have a significant impact on how people interact with one another and perceive the world.

This was said by MultiChoice Namibia Corporate Affairs Manager, Elzita Beukes in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday in celebration of International Women’s Day. The day is celebrated as a focal point in the women’s rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

“As we reflect on Women’s Day and #EmbraceEquity, we should consider how entertainment can help shift thinking and have a positive impact on the lives of women, because educating audiences can shift cultural norms and understanding. Entertainment provides a valuable opportunity for stories, characters, and themes inclusive of women to be shared,” she said.

Although commercial film production has grown at a fast rate in Africa, with Nollywood alone making over US$6.4 billion annually and producing over 2 500 movies, Beukes stated that women still have a disproportionately small number of job opportunities. She however added that things are changing as more women come forward to share their stories and exhibit their creativity.

Beukes further said people are gradually coming to understand the value of gender equality, and women are now given opportunities that were previously inaccessible. The MultiChoice Namibia and NBC Mukorob Film project, for example, which commissioned the production of 13 local films, boasts seven local female producers, she said.

Beukes noted that entertainment could be a massive change agent, but its full potential cannot be realised until everyone accepts and elevates the voices and stories of women.

She went on to say that having more women involved in all facets of the film industry – including in writing, directing, producing and acting – not only empowers and inspires women globally, but also ushers in a more inclusive and fair future for all.

“Through the recent stakeholder collaboration between MultiChoice and NBC, we aim to also highlight the amazing abilities of women in film so that future generations will be able to hear their voices, learn from their experiences, and be inspired by what they have achieved,” she noted.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency