Nailet Rojas (Cuba) has been telling stories since she was very young. A precocious reader and always curious, at the age of seven she joined a children's radio programme where she began to write stories and scripts. Her entry into journalism as an adult came naturally, although she admits she would not have minded studying law. No doubt she would have been able to exercise her civic sense and fight for the rights of women from this other discipline. The other memory she recalls from her childhood, aside from writing, is that of growing up surrounded by empowered women who had to make their way through a patriarchal society.
A few days ago, Nailet finished the online course "Scriptwriting for Women Creatives", thanks to a scholarship from the UNESCO Transcultura Programme, funded by the European Union. The course, given by the International Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Baños (Cuba), is part of the training opportunities offered by the Regional Cultural Training Hub, promoted by Transcultura to strengthen the capacities of young artists and culture professionals from the Caribbean. On the occasion of International Women's Day, we spoke with Nailet about her experience in this workshop and her contribution to the empowerment of women creatives in the Caribbean.
Why did you decide to enrol in this scriptwriting course for women creatives?
As part of my Bachelor of Arts thesis, I wrote The Audacity of Being Unique, a book of interviews dealing with the realities of Cuban women who, in the 21st century, are the only ones who perform certain non-traditional jobs. During the writing process, each description came to me like bits of images in a film. I want to make a documentary series that depicts the life stories of these women who, despite stereotypes, have achieved success in scenarios that have traditionally belonged to men. This UNESCO Transcultura course has opened a spectrum of possibilities for me to highlight the life and work of successful women who have been sidelined by the patriarchy.
Why do you think a course just for women screenwriters is necessary?
Cinema and television are highly consumed media, hence their influence on social development worldwide. Audiovisual products establish knowledge, fashions, trends, beliefs and a wide range of stereotypes. Women are shown to viewers as the weaker sex: they are the characters who are victims of persecution, who must always be saved, whose beauty triggers wars between men, who are confined to the private sphere, who scream in muggings, who cry, etc. It recreates an ideology of femininity bent on reflecting what we should be, completely disregarding who we are. The Transcultura Programme workshop trains Caribbean scriptwriters to take a new look at 21st century women: their goals, their fears, their demons, their inner struggles, their dreams, the reality in which they live and, above all, all that they are capable of doing.
What has the experience of sharing with other women creatives from the Caribbean and learning about their projects been like?
Thanks to this course, twenty young women creatives have come together in the same space. Although our projects are very different from each other, they all have the same objective: women's empowerment. The Caribbean is a geographical setting where multiple cultures interweave, each with its own language, beliefs, customs and traditions; contexts that are very different from each other, but at the same time enriching and attractive. Specifically, in my project, there is the possibility of working together with some of the scholarship holders of the workshop, so that it would be possible to give visibility not only to the work of Cuban women in non-traditional jobs but also that of other Caribbean women. This synergy would have been impossible without having participated in this course.
Have you taken online courses before and what has the experience been like?
Prior to this workshop, I had very little experience in online training. However, in the current scenario, after the spread of COVID-19, this teaching method has gained momentum and digital platforms have become a favourable learning medium. It has been an interesting and enriching experience that has made it possible to exchange with people miles away. It has become, almost naturally, part of each scholarship holder’s everyday life.
On this 8th March, what do you wish for women creators in the Caribbean?
For Caribbean women, the struggle for their rights is still on the public agenda. Discrimination, violence and feminicide are common practices in many of the countries in this geographical area. However, everyday efforts are doubled to conquer new guarantees and to assert the rights denied to us for centuries. This International Women's Day is a reminder to all Caribbean women that the struggle is not over, that it is time to unite to achieve the same goal: a full life for all women.
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