My name is Roberta Staley and I am an award-winning magazine editor and writer based in Vancouver.  

In 2012, I went to Afghanistan to write about education, gender, culture and fashion. I was so inspired by Afghan women’s courage and determination that I returned last summer to shoot a documentary titled Mightier Than The Sword,  about female journalists and filmmakers and their impact on gender perceptions and equality. 

THE TALIBAN

As most of us are aware, the Soviet Union invasion in 1979 precipitated years of violence between rival mujahideen factions, ultimately leading to the rise in power of the Taliban in 1996. Women suffered unimaginably: they were shot, beaten and stoned and forced to remain in their homes. If they ventured outside, they had to wear a burka. They were invisible, powerless and voiceless.

THE SLAYING OF FARKHUNDA MALIKZADA

The 2001, US-led invasion by Western coalition forces under NATO facilitated slow but inexorable advances for women in education, business, culture, politics and journalism. However, the shocking and horrifying mob beating of Farkhunda Malikzada in March 2015 in broad daylight under the gaze of police was clear evidence that women’s rights still hang by a thread. (Photo : Reverb Press)

THREE COURAGEOUS WOMEN

This terrible murder changed the lives of three women who are featured in Mightier Than The Sword. These include emerging documentarian Sahar Fetrat, Tolo TV journalist Shakila Ibrahimkhail and talk show host and singer Mozhdah Jamalzadah.

Sahar Fetrat is a university student and documentary filmmaker. Her first short film, Do Not Trust My Silence!,  revealed how women are harassed, threatened and abused in the streets by men. Sahar exposed a horrifying reality: every Afghan woman, potentially, is another Farkhunda.

Shakila Ibrahimkhail, an acclaimed veteran TV journalist, reports on domestic violence and political corruption. Death threats against her are not uncommon. Shakila was a pallbearer at Farkhunda’s funeral, despite an Islamic edict preventing women from carrying coffins.

Mozhdah Jamalzadah's family lives in Vancouver. They first came to Canada as refugees, fleeing Afghanistan. Mozhdah studied to become a journalist and returned to Afghanistan to host TV’s The Mozhdah Show, which explored the social issues of the day, including domestic abuse and divorce. Death threats forced Mozhdah's return to Canada. Today, she sings protest songs about the treatment of women in Afghanistan, in addition to the captivating, traditional music she brings to venues throughout the world. 

NOT IN VAIN

By telling the stories of these three remarkable journalists, as well as other equally courageous individuals, Mightier Than The Sword will show how far Afghan women have come — but how far they still need to go. It is important for the West to realize that the enormous sacrifices made in terms of lives lost and billions of dollars spent have resulted in remarkable advances. Afghanistan’s vibrant media sector is one of them. Regarded as one of the country's greatest accomplishments of the past 15 years, the media sector has nurtured female producers, directors, reporters and editors. This has helped women’s voices be heard and paved the way towards a more democratic and modern society.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The hard part is done — the documentary is already shot! Currently I am in post-production with film editor Jonas Quastel and looking to raise the final $50,000 needed to finish this $100,000 project. 

To date, I have spent $45,000 of my own money. Simon Fraser University, where I am pursuing a master’s degree in Graduate Liberal Studies, has also awarded me a $6,500 fellowship as this documentary is being accepted as part of my thesis. 

EXPENSES

The $50,000 will cover editor and assistant editor fees, colour correction, sound editing, translations and subtitles (Dari to English), voice over, music licensing, fees to my Afghan composer who is scoring original music, as well as legal fees and the expense of creating titles, opticals and visual effects.

Mightier Than The Sword, which will premiere in Vancouver, will be shown in select cities across Canada and be submitted to film festivals.

OTHERS WILL BENEFIT

•Any donations that bring the total over the $50,000 mark is earmarked for Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan’s Shafia/Mohammad Memorial Education Fund for Afghan Women and Girls, to help cover the cost of fees, clothes, books and laptops for students in Afghanistan.

•A portion will also help support a project being undertaken by documentary filmmaker Sahar Fetrat. She is opening a facility in Kabul where poets, writers, documentarians, musicians and visual artists can showcase their work while providing support to one another.

IMPACT

The withdrawal of Western troops in the past several years sparked a withdrawal of Western media and NGOs. This has resulted in a dramatic decline in the coverage of Afghan women's issues in the English press. This film fills in that gap — showing how women in Afghanistan have utilized the educational, political and economic opportunities and resources made available to them by foreign investment and aid in the past 15 years. Using their own ingenuity, training and courage, Afghan women are advancing gender rights. Slowly they are changing Afghan society — although it is often a dance of two steps forward, one step back. Their progress is due in no small part to media — a key weapon for women in the battle against silence and invisibility.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

Many of you won’t be able to contribute financially — and that’s OK! Please Tweet, Facebook or email your friends about this campaign, to help get the word out. And don’t forget to use the Indiegogo share tools! 

A BIT ABOUT ME 

My reporting endeavours have often taken me to the developing world, covering poverty, natural disasters, disease, education and gender issues. I have covered land mines in Cambodia, state-sanctioned violence against human rights lawyers in Colombia, the jailing of children and teenagers in Haiti, palliative care for those with HIV-AIDS in Soweto, South Africa and the effect of Coke and Pepsi on Salvadoran children's health. This recent story just received an Amnesty International Canada human rights reporting award.