Screening - "Speak of for Freedom" by Clément Sibony

The Thursday Film Series, MIST association and IFRA-Nigeria co-organized on 24 April, a screening of "Speak up for Freedom", a documentary directed by Clément Sibony. The documentary follows six women, members of MIST, who reclaim their voice by creating a theater play. With legal justice out of reach, they stage a fictional trial, an act of defiance that transforms pain into power. Through this deeply moving documentary, we witness their journey of healing, storytelling, and resistance. MIST (Mission of Intervention and Sensitisation against Trafficking) is a French NGO founded by Nigerian women who survived sexual trafficking, and are seeking to provide support for victims.

Dr Elodie Apard, MIST board member and coordinator of the Life After Trafficking joined us for a lively post-screening discussion. We discussed the making of the documentary and the play, the role art can play in dealing with traumatic memories, the dynamics of exploitation of Nigerian women in Europe, the difficult access to justice, the role of religion and family pressure in trafficking and paths for women to build their life back. Scroll to see some pictures of this event. 

If you want to learn more about the subject, we invite you to visit the MIST website and specifically their "True Talk" podcast, in which MIST members reflect on their experiences, as well as the Life After Trafficking page, as well as three of our former projects: Human Trafficking for sexual exploitation research project, Hidden Narratives on Transnational Organised Crimes in West Africa and PACKING.