Our Projects
STORYTELLING
TO
CHALLENGE SOCIAL NORMS
From 2023 to 2026, Srijanalaya is working with UN Women Nepal on a project entitled “Using creative forms of storytelling to challenge dominant gender social norms”. Across Nepal, women from diverse backgrounds are restricted in their undertakings in decision-making positions, work opportunities, and daily everyday life by prevailing social norms, values, and beliefs. However, there are also stories of change and powerful action being taken every day by these women. Representation of these stories, told by women as storytellers and artists, will make it possible to empower a larger audience to recognize and change harmful social norms around them. In this way, Srijanalaya is working with a curator, managing editor, visual artists, writers, illustrators, and event managers to find varied ways for storytelling to be a tool to support and strengthen advocacy efforts for social change. How do we make visible stories of change by women and excluded groups living in Doti, Kailali, Surkhet, Kavre, and Sarlahi (Sudarpaschim, Karnali, Bagmati, and Madhes provinces)? As we build a community of storytellers, we look for ways to engage in deep listening and create platforms for telling and retelling stories. This project is implemented by Srijanalaya, suported by UN Women, and funded by the Government of Finland.
In this project, the key objectives are
- To amplify stories of women and excluded groups and create visibility of actions taken against gendered social norms in project locations, through a range of innovative communication products
- To enhance communication and storytelling skills of women for public speaking, through the use of performance tools, story craft as well as other related skills, to enhance social-emotional capacities for critical speaking, listening and narrative skills
- To support women and excluded groups to share their stories in different formats through an inclusive and enabling platform
By 2026, we will have completed the making process of ten unique artworks, a storybook capturing ten compelling stories of change, and spoken word compositions by women from the different locations. These works will be showcased in curated physical exhibitions that move across the four provinces and culminate into a national advocacy event in Kathmandu. We will also share the artworks through a curated webpage and distribute 1,000 printed copies of the storybooks.
The spoken word compositions by women will stem from workshops for a group of 30 women, where they take time out of their daily lives to compose and play with the spoken word, rhythm, and movement. Using performance tools, story craft, and mentorship that boost their social-emotional capacities, we enhance women’s public speaking skills. At the end they are invited to perform during the exhibitions if they choose to do so.
Our theory of change is that storytelling has the power to make people more conscious of obstacles around gender equality and social inclustion in our societies; and create an imagination of change that can motivate people to build the skills to mobilize communities to transform social norms, and end harmful practices.
PAST WORKS
Changing Norms One Step at a Time
In 2021, we conducted storytelling and videography training for the “Changing Norms One Step at a Time” video competition. The training aimed to engage young people in Nepal, through a video competition, in its efforts towards changing the discriminatory social norms that are barriers to achieving gender equality in Nepal.
The selected participants, Bhawana Bogati, Radhika Pariyar, Safal Lama, Samjhana Nepali, and Zion Magar developed and conceptualized story pitches into a film format, learned to express ideas through documentary film, explored theoretical aspects, engaged in guest sessions and understand how voices can be raised using films as their medium. Pranav Narayan Manandhar mentored them through a series of rigorous online workshops during the pandemic. Click here for the films that were produced through these workshops. All footages were taken from their mobile phones.
Changing Norms One Step at a Time
In 2021, we conducted storytelling and videography training for the “Changing Norms One Step at a Time” video competition. The training aimed to engage young people in Nepal, through a video competition, in its efforts towards changing the discriminatory social norms that are barriers to achieving gender equality in Nepal.
The selected participants, Bhawana Bogati, Radhika Pariyar, Safal Lama, Samjhana Nepali, and Zion Magar developed and conceptualized story pitches into a film format, learned to express ideas through documentary film, explored theoretical aspects, engaged in guest sessions and understand how voices can be raised using films as their medium. Pranav Narayan Manandhar mentored them through a series of rigorous online workshops during the pandemic. Click here for the films that were produced through these workshops. All footages were taken from their mobile phones.
