Behind the Scenes with a Girl Rising writer and her inspiration from Nepal.
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GIRL RISING - BEHIND THE SCENES:
MEET THE WRITER
The stories of the nine girls
features in Girl Rising are told
by celebrated writers from
around the world.
Nepali writer, Manjushree Thapu,
shares her experiences with Girl Rising
and what it was like
getting to know Suma.
All of my writing and my
heart is definitely in Nepal.
Ten years ago there
was a movement
that began in this area.
It was called the "Kumiya
Liberation Movement",
and it was to end the bonded
labor among the adults
in this community, basically
a movement to end slavery.
It was something that I had
been involved with in Katmandu.
And it's actually the only
time I've ever been to jail was
for that movement,
just for a day.
And it was a moment when we
all felt really victorious
when the government declared
okay this practice has ended.
And then ten years later when
you realize that it's ended
for the adults, but the
children are still being bonded.
It's shameful, it's shocking.
It's just the kind of
thing that, you know,
makes your blood boil, to
have slavery, you know,
practiced in this day and age.
Suma was sold into slavery
as a very young child.
She seems very shy at
first, but once she starts
to speak she says
really interesting
and surprising things.
She's very observant.
She sees things in a certain way
so that's been really
interesting.
When we approach some of her
most painful experiences -
she's clearly been
through a lot.
She doesn't want to go there.
She's really focusing
on taking it forward
in a very positive way.
Women are the biggest agents of
change in Nepal, and you have
to remember the experience
of being a girl in Nepal,
it's an intensely
gendered experience.
Everything in your life
is shaped by the fact
that you're a girl, and
there are restrictions.
Try to do something else.
I think education is one of
the key components to changing,
you know, girls and
therefore the world.
So Suma's groundbreaking
work in her village,
it's really so inspiring.
When girls and women change,
that changes everything.
ONE GIRL WITH COURAGE
IS A REVOLUTION
THE SCREEN THE FULL FILM
GO TO www.GIRLRISING.COM