Photos: Facebook\YouTube Screenshots
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA (September 19, 2024) — Zambian filmmaker Tisa Chigaga’s Bride of Zambia, a mini-drama tackling traditional gender roles and internalized misogyny in the southern African country, is creating a storm amongst women there. The short film is now available for pay-per-view streaming on Indie Films World.
The first film to break taboo and openly discuss premarital bridal counseling — strictly confidential teachings handed down from married women to soon-to-be brides — has gained an audience with Zambian women who feel they finally have a voice. In examining the closely guarded secrets, traditional doctrines which have been passed down through the ages, the director began to wonder if some of them could not be considered harmful in modern times.
Born and raised in Lusaka, Chigaga was often confused by the strongly patriarchal elements of Zambian culture. As Zambia is such a highly conservative country where only few women would openly identify themselves as feminist, writing and directing the film was a very risky endeavor.
While Chigaga expected severe backlash for directing the short, Bride of Zambia has received an unexpectedly positive reception. The filmmaker has received hundreds of DMs on social media from Zambian women, thanking her for finally speaking out.
One woman responded to the film with a question via Instagram. “Why is the bride price distributed with [to] everybody but the bride? Why is the bride excluded from conversations regarding what would be done with the bride price paid for her? Would a man be treated the same if we paid dowries to men instead of [a] bride price for women?”
“I was shocked by the boldness and originality of the statement,” said Chigaga, who is a microbudget filmmaker with a focus on culture and social cohesion. “While I had expected Bride of Zambia to lead to dialogue, I never imagined the conversation would quickly become so radical.” Now living in New York City, she also serves as the Program Manager of the New York African Film Festival.
The discourse stemming from the film has been passionate and strikingly unorthodox, highlighting the fact that behind their demure submissiveness, Zambian women yearn for change. It is Chigaga’s hope that the momentum built from the film can be used for the advancement of women’s rights in her country.
To this effect, local Zambian filmmakers have shown tremendous support for the project.
“Bride of Zambia is an agonizing and provocative film that sheds light on the struggles of cultural identity and the clash of traditions,” said Becky Ngoma, a screenwriter and director known as the Queen of Zambian TV. “This is a must watch for anyone interested in stories about cultural identity, feminism and self-discovery.”
The film has also drawn praise from feminist film icons further abroad.
“Strong direction and focused storytelling make this small but commanding piece a thought provoking cultural exploration,” said Jean-Pierre Bekolo, an international award-winning Cameroonian filmmaker and Harvard University 2024 McMillan-Stewart Fellow.
A multicultural collaboration, the film was produced by the Bollywood entertainment cooperation D-Star Productions and Indie Films World.
For more information on the film, visit Indie Films World. Follow Chigaga on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at @tisachigaga.
