‘History/Our Story’ Workshop: Creating a space of belonging
This is an in-depth interview with our partner Mission d'intervention et de sensibilisation contre la traite des êtres humains (henceforth, MIST) about their ‘History/ Our Story’ workshop. The workshop is an activity curated for and with MIST members. It is designed to better understand how members’ personal stories are intertwined with the history of humankind using movies. MIST members watch the movies together and discuss topics connected to the history of slavery, the civil rights movement in the United States, and women’s fight for their legal rights. This workshop is conducted every second Tuesday of each month.
MIST is formed by a group of people who were trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation. They have mobilised together to promote the identification of other victims, their protection and inclusion, and in the process, enhancing their experience by helping other victims. MIST is self-organised and run by survivors of trafficking. Nearly 75 percent of the members are Nigerians because Nigerian women make up a significant portion of trafficking victims in France.[1] MIST has active members and general members. The former are more engaged and have more duties such as meeting girls and women on the streets, explaining their rights, and following up. In case of any danger, or if they want to escape their traffickers or want to talk to the police about the traffickers, the active members support them (in their interactions with police, courts etc). The general members are not so engaged in the day-to-day of running the organisation. All members are welcome to attend the History/Our Story workshop.
Srishty Anand from GAATW Secretariat had an opportunity to attend one of the History/ Our Story meetings. She watched a movie with the MIST members and followed it up with a Zoom conversation with MIST members Beauty, Flora and Elodie to learn about how the workshop aids in organising MIST members. Flora is the Community Manager of MIST since 2021. Beauty is an active member. Elodie is a Board Member and a historian by training. She has provided support to curate the ‘History/ Our Story’ workshop. Due to limited connectivity, Beauty shared her response in text.
Srishty: How did this workshop begin and what was the thinking behind it? How did you come up with history as an activity in the organisation?
Flora: Initially, we just wanted to have a simple workshop for the members of MIST. We created this workshop to give them some space to talk and express themselves. Members who could come to the MIST Office or a place where we organise the activity could come together to interact with other members. It is a way for them to be amongst other people, to be free to continue to come out, discuss and have an exchange. In the beginning, there were no expectations, just a way to make them feel that they belong.
Beauty: It is to let the girls (MIST members) know they are not alone. It motivates them to live their best life and move forward.
Elodie: Actually, we started with quite a different form of workshops. I think it was at the end of 2020 when we started to have discussions and conversations with researchers, mostly colleagues of mine from Nigeria. I wanted the researchers to come and share with the MIST members about their research because they were all working on trafficking issues. And so, we started to have informal but structured discussions. We had a couple of them. It was quite interesting, but it was also maybe a bit too theoretical or not rooted enough in the members' everyday life. So, we discussed this within MIST and we thought that maybe it will be nice to use something as a tool to have everybody engaged in the conversation, something easier to relate with. This idea of using movies came up. I can't remember who brought that up.
I had a very good example of movies being used as an awareness tool when I was in Nigeria when I was working at the University of Ibadan. There was a movie club every Thursday, and all the students gathered. They watched a movie together and after the film, they discussed and had long debates, until late in the night. It was really interesting. A French colleague of Congolese origin was the one organising that and he brought a lot of movies and ideas. Even after he left, the students continued organising this movie club. And it was a very interesting example of how movies can engage people in a broader conversation. It was impressive how people relate to their own experiences.
So based on this past experience, combined with a collective brainstorming with MIST, we decided to use movies. And because I'm the historian of the group, they asked me to make some propositions in terms of themes. I also discussed this with my colleague who launched the movie club in Nigeria, and I asked him for suggestions. Then I submitted a programme to the MIST team to see what they thought about it. We had some back and forth and we addressed the concerns. This is how it started.
Srishty: You mentioned that the workshop started with a different intent of creating a space where everyone feels that they belong. Over several months, it has become more structured. How has this workshop evolved over the last two years?
Flora: It has constantly evolved individually and also collectively. We have reviewed our own consciousness about what is going on, what we assume to be normal, or what is not normal, what we should do, and how it should be done. If I am speaking on behalf of all the MIST members, before these workshops, they know that they're victims of something, but they don't actually know how to classify the offenders and the fights that have been fought in the past, by whom, when, and how. These activities have really helped us relate our history to our personal stories through the characters in these movies.
Now we have Beauty and other strong members with us. Now we can easily ask them questions about what they think and they can really bring up something. But before that, we did not have this consciousness. These activities have really enlightened them on what should be accepted and what shouldn't be accepted. And even as individuals, as women, what can be done, what is our responsibility and rights? The realisation that ‘I'm not out of what is going on, I'm part of what is going on. So maybe I should do something’. So these raised many positive things and even negative things such as how should the perpetrators be held accountable. Should they be defined? Who are they? What should they be called?
Elodie: When we thought about it, we wanted to trigger a consciousness about the fight of MIST, its aim to work collectively as victims of the same injustice, act collectively, and build a collective force. We thought that maybe this collective strength should also insert itself in a bigger and wider fight for justice. But it's not that easy, when you are alone in France, and you've been through a lot and are quite isolated in different parts of the country. You can have this group belonging, but to insert this group in a bigger movement was supposed to help the members to see the point of mobilisation, to see a sense in it.
We decided to address big historical issues such as slavery, the human rights fight in the US and the fight for women's rights because those are the battles people fought to defend the rights that are also linked to the kind of struggle all the members have to go through. Because it's linked to racism, to sexism, to colonial inequalities. All these historical periods are important to be considered when you are a woman fighting for your rights. But I'm a historian, so I'm obsessed with history. When you are a woman, you know that some things that happened to you are not okay, but you are not aware of what other women have done in the past to fight for their rights and to fight against injustice. The idea was to bring other people's stories that echo the stories of MIST members.
Srishty: Could you share more about the curation and selection of movies? Many of them are based on the Black history movement in the US. How was this curated?
Elodie: It is just a sequence. We started with slavery and we wanted to start the discussion from the African history perspective. The first movie we watched, Roots, was about Kunta Kinte, a character who was captured in Africa and taken to the Americas. So the movie takes place in Africa and explains how the transatlantic slave trade started, just to be able to link the history of slavery with contemporary exploitation. Then, it also enlightened how racism developed from slavery and it helped to really anchor all these conversations, all these discussions about the injustice of racism in Africa. Then we moved over the Atlantic Ocean to the US, because this is where slavery was happening. It was logical for us to then talk about segregation in the US. It is not directly linked to the kind of injustice MIST members have faced, but it is really important to try to build this collective consciousness of what we are part of as women, as Black women. The fight for civil rights is also very important in the structure of Black history. It is a sequence. It has already taken us to the women's fight and then it will take us somewhere else as part of it.
Srishty: Was there a particular story or an instance in a movie that you found relatable?
Flora: Yeah, there were some movies that we watched. One was Harriet and another one was Hidden Figures. So, in these two movies, these were two themes. At first, it was two different themes, two different stories - completely different. The first one was Harriet, a woman whose parents were captured and sold for slavery. She went through the same fate. Finally, she was able to find her way out and she ran away. When she survived, she did not stand back and say, ‘I'm free and life goes on’. She was free and she did everything to go back there to help the other people left behind. This is not always easy in everyday life. But this really raised some consciousness in me. Even if I am free, there are so many people that need a support system. This made me realise my position in MIST and what I've been doing or should keep doing. When you begin to think about others, that’s the moment when you become a leader. I realised that I don’t just have to be a leader but I need to raise other leaders to be able to help the people left behind, those who need our attention. So that theme, history, and story raised that consciousness in me. Even though I knew that before, it gave me some stability to think that what I'm doing is right.
Beauty: I think the historicity of the movies is good for creating awareness and also a tool that makes us confident to speak more about ourselves. Harriet made me learn more about myself - to fight for my freedom, for myself, and not to be quiet about injustice.
Elodie: That was the plot for Harriet who escaped slavery from the southern states to join the northern states where black people were free. And she started to build a network to free slaves, which was called the Underground Railroad. It was a very powerful movie. I remember many people reacted because Harriet Tubman was a very impressive character. And she was a woman working very hard and very strong. She had a very strong character, she was very brave. But what was interesting in the movie was that she also relied on a network, so she relied on the collective and this is how they managed to save so so many people.
And also, because she's a woman, and she started the fight on her own, I think it was quite easy for members to relate with her. She also has a strong faith. Faith is really important. It's very central to our history.
Flora: Yeah, I mean, the movie was good and it really aligned with the story of MIST. When we think about collective, it's not just being alone or just being you but trying to raise others, the power of the group. That raised the thought that ‘this is what we want’ (power of the collective as shown in the movie Harriet). Being a woman, she did not allow gender to stop her from doing what she should do, or even what people think that she shouldn't or she couldn't do. Being a Black African migrant woman is still very tough even in our days. We still have to keep proving that we can do it, we are capable.
The movie raised the idea that we have to work together, we have to trust each other. We have a similar story and culture. We have to give that possibility to each other, let's stop being against each other, even when the traffickers try their best to turn us against each other. Let's stop fighting. Let's be a group. There were so many different positive messages that the story gave to us. I could relate it to our real story, our personal history. A lot of other participants gave this feedback. They talked about the movie and that it was very encouraging. I think we need such encouragement, such boldness. So other movies we have been watching have been contributing in one way or the other.
Srishty: Did any movie raise some kind of debate or difference of opinions within the group?
Flora: Sure, everybody cannot have the same ideas. Different people understand different things from their own perspectives. So whatever I felt or what I received was different from what other people saw. Some people saw not giving your life completely for this because they felt that you must not also die for somebody and that was also related to their personal story. Some have to carry the family along. We have to always fight for our family or our life and never had time for ourselves. We also addressed the question, ‘what about me?’. People also reacted with ‘I don't agree with this’ and it is also part of the learning and it is powerful to remember that.
Elodie: We also watched two movies on the civil rights movements in the US based on the true story of two leaders. The first was Selma, based on the march organised by Martin Luther King, and the other was the biopic of Malcolm X by Spike Lee. It was interesting to see how these big leaders brought people together and mobilised and actually managed to channel people's frustration and sense of injustice. But I remember that there was also a debate on the place of women in these fights, and how in these movements, sometimes women were left behind. I remember that that was part of the reaction.
Flora: Yes, I remember the question about why women are behind in these marches and fights when powerful men are fighting for rights. This raised the question amongst the ladies (MIST members) that women need their space to take the lead and make a move. They also want women’s rights to be represented.
Srishty: Linked to the representation of groups in movements, could you share more about the landscape of CSOs working on migration and anti-trafficking in France? MIST is one of the groups in France working on anti-trafficking led by Black women leaders and also bringing in the perspectives of racism and women’s rights. How do other organisations respond to this?
Flora: Sometimes when we go for meetings and conferences, we see that men come first, do the presentations, and then the women start talking. We don’t know all the organisations but I know that MIST is the only organisation where women concerned have the capacity and possibility to lead and be in front. For example, when sometimes MIST is invited to an event, Vanessa (Director at MIST) and Auriele (Development Lead at MIST) don’t attend because they want me (with other members) to represent MIST instead. When we go, we see the disappointment in faces because they always wanted people with titles to be attending these. I think we battle a lot but people are beginning to understand this because this is not the mission and vision of MIST and they cannot stop us from what we want to do.
Once I saw a man who was presenting on the subject of prostitution and victims and I was wondering “How do you know how that works? Where are the women who work with you?” But they don't see it that way.
Elodie: There is the gender issue and there is also the race issue. There is one thing about expecting a man to be on top of an organisation. And then there is also another thing about expecting a French person to be the spokesperson, a white, well-educated leader who is very articulate. It is also a racism issue. There is this specific challenge of Black women who have to fight twice to be respected - first as women and then as Black people, which was the topic of the movie you talked about earlier, Flora, Hidden Figures. These women were working for the United States space programme, and they were cutting-edge scientists, but they had to face terrible forms of segregation and sexism in a world full of men. I think that even though it was in the US in the 1960s, in a space programme, so very far away from MIST in Paris, both in space and time, it relates a lot with the kind of bias you (MIST members) have to deal with on an everyday basis.
Srishty: Has this workshop achieved what you aimed for with the members?
Elodie: The aim of this exercise, of this workshop, is to raise awareness, build political consciousness, be aware of the kind of injustice people went through, and be part of this bigger history. But it has to come from one's own experience. So it is very important that these conversations are led by members themselves, by victims, who can actually put their words and can actually develop their own perspective on that. The aim is not to show a way or to impose an ideology. It is simply to present stories, document and explain History, and how it went, and leave it for women (MIST members) to think about what it means to them.
Flora: I totally agree with what Elodie said. The idea is to really be aware and then choose your path. Be bold and make your decisions moving forward. Choose your life, be self-centred for some time to think about yourself, and take time off for yourself. To tell them that your life matters. Fly, be free. Beauty, for example, is in a shelter, not even in Paris, where MIST is based. She participates in whatever activities she can without any obligations or engagement. This workshop gives the possibility for them to see what happened or what is happening. Then the participants make a decision about what they want to take from it. But the idea is not to add any pressure, that is, now that you can see that a woman leads (in the movies), you lead too. This is just to raise self-consciousness. To show the participants that we are together, we are with you, you can do something as an individual and not just by becoming a leader.
Elodie: If you (Flora) remember, when at the end of the workshops, we generally ask the members what they would expect or what kind of movie they want to watch, what we get very often is that we want to watch inspirational movies. The word ‘inspiration’ comes up quite often.
Flora: I think what they need to see is that it is possible to make a move, to go out there and fly. It is possible to take care of yourself. We don’t have a sense of self in our culture. When we are growing up, especially as a woman, adult, or child, the idea is to grow up and be good in life. Women are taught to take care of others but nobody talks about ‘you’. We grow up with the mindset that it is our responsibility to do that. This is planted in our brains from childhood. The participants/ MIST members have that consciousness that needs to be changed so that they can think about themselves. And when they have the possibility, they can do things for others. I think the idea is to watch movies that will give them that sense of possibility, to have time for themselves, to think about themselves. It is not selfish to think about yourself. It is not bad to do that but no one teaches us that. So just having that consciousness that it is normal to think about yourself.
Beauty: It makes us feel we are not alone and we can work to be free together.
Srishty: If organisations wish to use this workshop idea in their communities and groups they work with, what would you like to suggest to them? How can they ensure that their members are engaged?
Elodie: It is very important to decide on the main themes based on the profile of the people who will attend or participate. For example, there was some constraint, at first, that we needed movies in English. Recently, we have tried non-English movies with subtitles and it is not that easy but it worked. We'll see if we can do it again.
But first, it was important for everyone to be able to follow and not be lost in translation. Then there was also this tension between what we should show and shouldn’t in terms of violence and images of abuse. We were wondering if it would trigger some very bad memories for some people. For example, I didn't want to start with movies on trafficking, it was not the point. The point was to go back in History and see what other people have experienced. If you remember, we watched 12 Years a Slave and it was really hard. We skipped some scenes because it was too hard to take. People were getting emotional, and a lot of us cried. So you have to keep in mind that some movies can actually be a bit difficult. Apart from that, there are some incredible movies. Documentaries can also be used. I think the main thing is to really discuss what people want as a collective and make a selection based on that. But my advice for an organisation that wants to organise such a programme is to invite MIST members (laughs) so that they can make some recommendations.
Flora: Personally, I was worried about something. When you watch something historical, a movie, that has something to do with race, one has to be careful about whether it will raise positive consciousness or provoke negativity. So initially, I was very afraid of some movies that showed how white people treated blacks. And another way was to assist them to see that being black or white is just a colour. What matters is that Black can be good, White can be bad, and the other way around. It is just the colour. People can mix things together. Black can be bad to Black or White alike and vice versa. So I was afraid that initially, people might not see this, which can be polarising. But we didn't have that problem.
Secondly, my advice to organisation is to think about who they are doing it for, and why are they doing it, followed by the question of what is the message of the film. It should be focused on why they want to watch it, what they would want to hear, and why it is important to them at that moment. We need to take the state of the people concerned into account. Like during 12 Years of Slave, many women turned off the video, so we need to be careful.
Srishty: Have you also engaged with any other medium apart from movies?
Elodie: For now, we stick to movies. We will probably also try documentaries at some point. But another thing that we discussed is this exhibition on Nigeria that is currently showing in Paris. Because it's an exhibition on a very famous Nigerian musician, Fela Kuti, and the role of his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, whose role as a women's rights activist in the history of feminism in Nigeria is central. There is some part of the exhibition that shows that. So maybe if we have the opportunity to get a presentation of the exhibition by one of the curators. This could focus more on the history of feminism in Nigeria which will go along with a documentary on this woman. It will be backed by a historian who is a specialist in feminism in Nigeria. But this is something we really have to organise because this is not something we can do online.
Srishty: Thank you for this wonderful conversation, Flora, Elodie, and Beauty. I believe our members and partners will find it helpful.
[1] https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-trafficking-in-persons-report/france/