[New] Film + Philanthropy

Mother/son duo shed light on the issue of child marriage in Malawi

BY VALERIE HARDY

Hundreds of people streamed into the Tivoli Theatre the evening of July 21 –not for the latest Hollywood blockbuster, but rather for the official world premiere of the Watts of Love original short film, “UKWATI,” which translates to “The Wedding.” Directed by Sean Economou, 25, a Downers Grove North High School and Columbia College graduate, the documentary-narrative hybrid illuminates the issue of child marriage in Malawi and invites viewers to be part of the solution.

Malawi, located in southern Africa, has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world; nearly half of all girls in Malawi wed before age 18. The weight of this reality hits film viewers viscerally when one bride’s experience is narrated: “I was sold for $50.” Soon after this declaration, the film conveys how some families living in extreme poverty sell their daughters into marriages to men quadruple their age.

Through reenactments, “UKWATI” shows how haunting the potential of being sold into marriage is for Malawian adolescents and illustrates the plight of Malawian child brides. Sean said the story depicted in the film is “the culmination of the collective experiences of 10 individuals” who shared their stories with his colleague, nies, their experiences,” Sean said. “At that point, we had no idea what this movie was even going to look like.”

What Sean did know, however, was that Malawian chief Theresa Kachindamoto was an important piece of the story. Chief Kachindamoto had made it her mission to end the illegal marriage of underage girls and, instead, prioritize their education.

Sean met with Chief Kachindamoto during his initial filming in Malawi last spring. He was inspired by her work, just as his mother – Nancy Economou, who founded Downers Grove-based non-profit Watts of Love 10 years ago – had been when she first met the chief during a trip to bring reusable lights and financial literacy training to residents of Malawi. Nancy explained that Chief Kachindamoto had thousands of child marriages annulled, “reuniting thousands of children with their families and returning them to their communities and childhoods.”

At the film’s debut, Nancy briefly took the stage. She shared with Sean what a blessing he is to the Watts of Love organization (where he works alongside her and the rest of the Watts of Love team) and told the audience about her initial conversation with Chief Kachindamoto. “I said, ‘I think what we do might help you,’” Nancy explained, referring to Watts of Love’s work, to which the chief replied, “Please come. You are always welcome.”

Nancy fast-forwarded a few years, telling how – when she visited Chief Kachindamoto last year – the chief shared the lukewarm reception of the emancipated child brides by their families along with the overarching challenges facing the community in the wake of the marriage reversals. The girls’ families could barely afford to house or feed them, let alone pay for their books and other education-related expenses. This is where Watts of Love and its supporters come in.

After presenting the pervasiveness of child marriage and the challenges incurred even after the annulment of such marriages, “UKWATI” shows how access to reusable lights and increased financial literacy are part of the solution. With solar lights provided by Watts of Love, Malawian girls and their families do not have to spend one-third of their income on kerosene or disposable batteries for light. Instead, Nancy said, they are film and also avoid vilifying the Malawian men.

The edits were effective. “UKWATI” was named a two-time Silver Screen Winner (“Charity Commercial” and “Changing the World Frame By Frame”) at the Young Director Awards. To date, the film has received eight other awards, and Sean said he is still waiting to hear back from 45 festivals to which he submitted educated to take that equivalent sum of money and “reinvest in the community” by purchasing poultry, livestock, or other resources that can increase self-sustenance or income-generation.

Watts of Love’s “desire is to [provide financial literacy training] to the girls who can’t afford to go back to school,” Nancy said. “Everybody has the entrepreneur’s spirit.” With light and financial literacy, Nancy said, “There is a ripple effect,” and it can “radically transform generational poverty.”

And poverty, according to Sean, is the true “villain” of his film. He said he was still making significant edits to “UKWATI” this spring, just days before the deadline to submit it to the 2022 Young Director Awards in Cannes; he wanted to “alleviate any type of blame on the mother” in the

“UKWATI.”

The Economous are proud of the accolades the film is receiving, but their primary focus is on continuing to address the issue of child marriage and providing lights and financial literacy training in Malawi and other areas of focus for Watts of Love, including Kenya, Uganda, and The Philippines.

At the film screening, Watts of Love’s development manager shared three ways the audience and others can contribute: make a donation ($50 can sponsor a family), spread the word about Watts of Love and the film, and/or join the Watts of Love volunteer team “in the field.”

For more information about “UKWATI” or Watts of Love, to make a donation, or to volunteer, visit wattsoflove.org. ■