/ The media, women and images of women and men
Almost nowhere else are there so many private television stations with so many people watching as in Palestine. Because of the violent conflicts occurring very close to them, people watch local television stations for news of the situation before they leave the house. Women also watch more television because of the military barriers and the increasing limits which stop them moving around freely. There are many TV shows, but they are not very good. And what is the image of women that is seen in Palestinian television? What jobs do women working in Palestinian television have? Young women from the West Bank working in television asked themselves these questions. Their answers were very critical and they decided to do something about it. In 2004 they began “TAM – Women Media and Development.” cfd supports the spoken history project of this new feminist organisation.
Different images of women on television
Local television stations are very important in spreading traditional images of women and men and one-sided images of women. The low status of women and violence towards women are shown as normal in the culture. TAM wants to show women in television programs as active and in important jobs and to change the fixed ideas and descriptions of women by showing many different images of women.
The spoken history project
Empowering women to tell their stories and be active in the world of television is what the oral history project of TAM is doing. In film portraits, old and young women from different backgrounds speak about their lives. These portraits give a new picture of women: they are shown not only as victims of the occupation, of violence and of poverty, but also as active – in everyday life, in social relationships, at work and in politics. The self-confidence of the women in these portraits is strengthened simply because they know that their stories have been recorded and are interesting to other people. The people making the films get more technical knowledge and better skills in showing things important to women. The television viewers see women who are active in public life and they learn to see their own stories as important. To get people to talk about these films in their families, the portraits are shown together with talk shows and group discussions.
Understanding and thinking about equality for men and women
In order to influence both the filmmakers and the viewers, TAM works with local television stations in its projects. In its advanced training courses for television journalists, TAM combines technical training with training in questions of equality for men and women. The courses are made especially for men, because there are many more of them in the television stations and because they have the important jobs and decide what sort of programs will be shown. In the future, committees in the local television stations should make sure that equality between men and women becomes a measure of quality.
