India is the world’s largest democracy and is rapidly becoming a major global economic player, but many still struggle with the disadvantages stemming from the ever-persisting caste system, women are married off as children and the tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities are played strategically by politicians.

The communities struggling to deal with these issues rarely have direct access to the media. Grassroots media leaders like Stalin K. and Jessica Mayberry are changing that.

Stalin K. is a community media activist from India and a key spokesperson for the movement to democratize India’s airwaves. Jessica Mayberry is the Founder of Video Volunteers, an organization that trains NGOs to produce their own videos as a tool in social change and empowerment.

Stalin and Jessica will screen clips from their own documentary films and from community video films made by the disadvantaged communities they have trained. The documentary clips screened are on the issues of caste and anti-Muslim violence in India. They will also show clips from a video on child marriage produced by child brides inIndia.

Jessica and Stalin are returning from Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation, and will also discuss their experience setting up a community video unit with Native Americans to address issues of community participation and empowerment in the U.S.

ALSO:

Stalin K. will show two of his films in their entirety on Friday November 18, 2005 at 6pm at 2040 Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley. For more info: http://www.ektaonline.org/events/stalin/