Arkansas PBS > Engage > Pressroom > Community Cinema offers free advance screening of Solar Mamas in North Little Rock Oct. 30
Posted 13 Nov 2012
CONWAY, Ark. (AETN) The Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN), UALR Public Radio/KUAR FM 89.1 and William F. Laman Library invite the public to a free advance screening of Solar Mamas as part of Community Cinema Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 6:30 p.m. The screening will be held in room 126 of the library.
Solar Mamas follows the story of rural Bedouin woman Rafea, who hails from a small Jordanian village near the desert. Rafea is a 30-year-old mother with four children and a husband who is eager to take a third wife. With encouragement from the countrys Ministry of Environment, she leaves her village for the first time to go to the Barefoot College in India and train to become a solar-energy engineer. As the first Jordanian woman ever to attend such a program, Rafea dreams of returning to bring much-needed income and talents to support her family and village but encounters trouble just two months into the program: her husband insists that she return home, or he will divorce her and take the children.
The Barefoot College in India was founded by Bunker Roy to provide knowledge and training to the rural poor to empower them to make their communities self-reliant and sustainable. The solar course at Barefoot College offers training to women from many countries, including Kenya, Burkina Faso, Columbia and Guatemala.
Solar Mamas will air on AETN Monday, Nov. 5, at 9 p.m.
The screening will be held in room 126 of William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange Street, North Little Rock. A community discussion will follow the screening.
Additional information is available by calling AETN at 800-662-2386 or visiting aetn.org/communitycinema.
Community Cinema, a free monthly screening series engaging communities through films produced by the Independent Television Service (ITVS), features monthly screenings followed by panel discussions with leading organizations, local communities and special guest speakers. The program is designed to help people learn about and get involved in the social issues raised in the documentaries.
The mission of the William F. Laman Public Library is to maintain and improve the quality of life for the community by providing resources that enhance and contribute to literacy and foster community engagement with information, culture and civic life.
The mission of UALR Public Radio is to deepen insight into the human experience, empower decision-making and enrich the lives of those we serve through quality news and cultural programs. UALR Public Radio operates two radio stations in Little Rock KUAR FM 89.1, which broadcasts news, jazz and cultural programs including national programming from NPR, and KLRE 90.5, which broadcasts classical music.