The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer
jgibson@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN author and film maker Marion Bethel has taken her history lesson on the women’s suffrage movement in the Bahamas to other parts of region. Her first film “Womanish Ways” was screened at two international universities and will be publicly showcased next week at Galleria Cinemas JFK.

“Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights & Democracy” will be screened on May 29 and 30 beginning 7pm. The documentary narrates the story of the women’s suffrage movement in the Bahamas between 1948-1962, with a focus on champions of women’s rights, Mary Ingraham, Georgiana Symonette, Mable Walker Eugenia Lockhart and Dame Dr Doris Johnson.
The women of the movement fought endlessly for enfranchisement, which came more than a decade after the effort became organised. On November 26, 1962, Bahamian women exercised their right to vote for the first time. The documentary celebrates all of the women who cast their vote on that day.

Bethel first presented the documentary on the women’s suffrage movement in the Bahamas during a closed screening at Government House in November and at the Bahamas International Film Festival in December.
It was showcased at Middle Tennessee State University and the University of the West Indies, Jamaica in March. Last month the documentary was featured at the Africa World Documentary Film Festival.
The University of Toronto, Rutgers. Spelman College has also invited Ms Bethel to be a guest in the Fall semester. There are several other film festivals and academic institutions that are presently considering the film for presentation.
The production team included Director Maria Govan, Editor Kareem Mortimer, Researcher Natalie Bethel and Producer’s Assistant/Researcher Gabrielle Misiewicz.
Womanish Ways has been well received both locally and abroad. However, some expressed disappointment that they had no previous knowledge of the historically significant event.

“Bahamians are really enthusiastic about it because they get to see some of their history that they know very little about. Young women are particularly engaged with it because they are like well ‘how come I don’t know this; how come I don’t know that there was a women’s movement in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s?’

“Young women I find some of them are very upset that they didn’t know this, and now they are so happy. So it is a lot of mixed emotions but people generally are really pleased. During questions and answers, people are like ‘nobody has taught me this, how come it is not in our schools, why didn’t I know this? Now that they know we have got a history to build on in terms of women’s empowerment and the legacy of women, people are really thrilled. So it has been well received generally,” she said. 
People are disadvantaged when they lack knowledge of their history, and one of Ms Bethel’s aims was to create an educational tool. There are other historical events Bahamians know very little about, however the suffrage movement is one of the lesser known pieces, she said.

“I have done a presentation and there was a young high school student from Dr Doris Johnson’s school who knew nothing about Dr Dame Doris Johnson. How crazy is that? I was just upset and I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “We are to be blame, because we all are citizens, we all have the right to vote, we all know what is missing in our schools, we know it. And it is our responsibility to make it happen. I have done the work, I can’t say that enough, someone has to make the next thing happen. And it is not just the women’s suffrage story. There are many parts of our history people don’t know,” Ms Bethel told Tribune Woman.
Despite approaching the Ministry of Education about having high school students view the documentary, nothing has happened as yet.

“I have done everything I can to get high school students to view the documentary. Now it is up to the Ministry of Education. It is only so much one person can do. The Ministry of Education is well aware of the documentary. People are saying this, that, and that next thing, but nothing happens. I have done my work, people have to do some of their work. I work 9-5 like everybody else. Just to do the outreach that I have done thus far has taken a lot of time and energy.”
The Royal Bank of Canada has taken the initiative to invite 10th grade students from various high schools to view the film on May 24 at the College of the Bahamas.

“That is a corporate citizen stepping up to the plate and other people have to do the same,” she said. RBC also plans to purchase some of the DVDs and distribute them to various schools.