Urmila. My memory is my power

Description

Urmila wants to change Nepal. This young woman fights with admirable energy against centuries-old social structures. She has but one goal: the end of child slavery. Her political activities drive her to assume responsibility for others, but must also think of herself. "Children go to school. Adults go to work!" Urmila shouts angrily in a protest march on the streets of Kathmandu. Together with her fellow campaigners she frees girls from captivity, demands of the Prime Minister the end of slavery, holds press conferences, travels to Oslo and New York – and tries back at home in Ghorahi to complete the next year at school. She has big plans: she wants to study and become a lawyer. At the age of six Urmila Chaudhary was sold by her family as a household slave to people in the capital. Every year her parents received 50 dollars from her masters, for whom Urmila had to work up to 15 hours every day. The deep-rooted traditions of bondage continue to keep the people in southern Nepal in abject poverty. She was eventually freed at the age of 17. Since then she has been trying to find her own way in life. Despite her unwavering self-determination and courage, Urmila finds her life is still controlled by others – this time by the pressures of people’s expectations and the desire of others to shape her career and life’s path. The intimate and touching portrait follows Urmila’s quest for justice and her dream to end child slavery in Nepal in an unusual way. First she must break through the control of those around her and fight against the inner demons of her past to begin to make her own life choices.

Runtime

87 minutes

Subjects

Geography

Genre

Database

Alexander Street

Direct Link