From Saudi Arabia to California
A Personal Journey
Samah Damanhoori
Liz Ellis introduced Samah, a Saudi filmmaker who speaks about her country's male guardianship law through activism and art. She has been featured on several news specials and is currently producing an animated film to be released next year.
Samah began her presentation with a thank you to Heather Thomas who introduced her to our club and for giving her the opportunity to tell her story. She left Saudi Arabia entering the US on a scholarship but with the reluctant agreement of her father who granted her permission only because her married sister was also living in the area. However when the sister left, her father ordered her to return home and through the embassy managed to have her scholarship cancelled.
In Saudi Arabia a woman's life is under the control of a male, usually her father or husband but even a brother or a son. In this male guardianship society all decisions require the permission granted by the male of the family. In not following the orders of her father and remaining in the US Samah was simply set adrift without any means of support. Understandably this left her vulnerable and in a state of anxiety that eventually led to panic attacks. Through the support of the university, a group of kind businessmen and several Rotarians she was able to continue her education and complete a masters degree.
Now Samah is a devoted advocate for women's rights in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. She does her advocacy work through public appearances and through the visual art of films. She played portions of her animated film Medina Papel that illustrates the structure of a family and the difficulty of the character trying to fit into it. She sees some improvement is women's lives such as the first Saudi female to be recently named ambassador and the fact that some women can travel and actually drive without a male guardian. But there is a much longer road to travel for full female rights to be recognized.
She answered a number of questions mainly about her father and the complicated relationship she has with him. She continues to work at mending the broken bridges with both her parents and her siblings seeing some slow improvement in her own situation and that of Saudi women generally. Ginny Lowood in thanking Samha commented on the bravery that it took to make the journey and the heartfelt presentation in telling us about it.
ATTENDANCE 48