This evening we watched our first documentary about the conflict in Nepal – “Sari Soldiers.”  First off, I have to recommend this powerful film to anybody and everybody.  A bit of background: the film follows six different women in different situations with different views of the conflict.  We learn the unique story of each woman in viewing their suffering, their hopes, their struggle in a divided society.

I admit to having a very limited knowledge about the Nepal conflict, based until tonight mostly on Wikipedia and Google news alerts.  However, witnessing these six different, powerful stories has expanded my understanding drastically.

I believe it is fair to say that the vast majority of people who view this film would agree that the story of Devi is simultaneously the most heart-wrenching, courageous, and inspirational stories in the film.  Devi first tells us how she witnesses and spreads the story of her 18 year old niece who is kidnapped, raped, and murdered by the Royal Nepalese Army in a small village because she is suspected of being a Maoist.  Because Devi publicizes the event, she becomes a target of the Royal Army.  However, when a group comes to take her from her home and she is not there, they kidnap her 15 year old daughter and refuse to admit the crime.  Devi, a Dalit or untouchable (a member of the lowest caste), takes her family to Kathmandu and fights courageously to make her case known throughout the world.  After months and months pass, she meets a high-ranking leader of the Royal Army and gets him to agree to look in to the “disappearance,” which leads to the discovery of her daughter’s death.

The results of the death is the first tribunal over such a case, but the soldiers responsible receive only six month sentences that they do not serve.  Devi continues to fight alongside another spectacular woman, Mandira – a human rights lawyer.  At the end of the film, they are finally granted some closure by being shown the burial sight and witnessing the exhumation of the body about 3 years later.

I was struck by this story in an intensely emotional way.  The six women that were focused on were all amazing in the courage and spirit although they came from different places and were on different sides of the conflict, but Devi’s story of am illiterate woman from the lowest caste of society fighting against a divided system, doing everything she possibly can and creating change through conflict is completely inspiring.  Even though she loses her child in the end, Devi still does not give up and works even more to gain justice for her family’s loss.  The line that really hit me was when she responds to the 6 month sentence: “Would I be given six months in jail if I killed somebody… and not even spend any time in jail?”  Wow.  This is a woman with no formal education and she is stronger and more courageous than I could ever hope to be.  Devi is somebody that we can all learn from.

On a broader note, this film screening has given me more insight to the conflict itself.  First of all, the gigantic role of women as community leaders, soldiers, revolutionaries, etc is amazing.  Secondly, the scope of the conflict is more than I expected.  I knew it was between the monarchy and the Maoists, but I did not realize that the political parties played such a vital role as well.  It is important to realize going forward that Nepal was a constitutional monarchy before the Parliament was completely dissolved and the country became an absolute monarchy.  There are so many levels of escalation between the various parties, that it is important to gain a more complete understanding so I will be able to hit the ground running in January.

I am excited to continue this learning experience and I look forward to meeting a Nepalese human rights activist at the end of this week!