BOBIE-LEE DIXON
(bobie-lee.dixon@guardian.co.tt)
Breaking the Cycle, a 61-minute-long documentary on domestic violence, based on the true story of 43-year-old Camika Mc Letchie, recently won the Jury Special Mention Award in Croatia, where it was also screened at the Vox Feminae Film Festival. The documentary was also screened last weekend at prison divisions in Guadeloupe. It is soon to be screened in Barcelona, Canada, and the US, where it is being used as a teaching tool in the scheme of awareness.
It was in 2016 that Mc Letchie chose Guardian Media to tell her first public story as a domestic abuse survivour. Two years later, she said she never imagined her story would be made into an award-winning documentary, let alone take her overseas, where her advocacy for domestic violence awareness could break language barriers and make a positive impact.
"Having the documentary done on my life also brought an element of healing to both my family and me personally," she tells the Sunday Guardian.
The documentary was entered into several international film festivals and was filmed as part of the "I am CiTizen" campaign, a project of the Citizen Security Programme headed by Gregory Sloane-Seale, which is an initiative under the Ministry of National Security, with the objective of reducing crime and violence and creating safer communities.
Of the partly BP-sponsored trip to Croatia, Mc Letchie describes the experience as an awesome and enriching one, but also an opportunity she got to encourage the women of that nation to speak out.
"I was able to discuss the importance of speaking out against domestic violence as they are very tight-lipped when it comes to issues like these," she explains.
Mc Letchie further said that in Croatia women experience a similar nonchalant approach to domestic violence as women in T&T, particularly when making reports. She is hoping this will change with Croatia recently ratifying the Istanbul Convention which has been signed by many countries across Europe and aims at the prevention of violence against women, as well as victim protection.
Breaking the Cycle
Breaking the Cycle was directed by Spanish-born director, Miquel Galofore and captures the reality of the cycle of abuse. In a most authentic form, Mc Letchie is able to invite viewers into her world where she is candid about the physical, social, emotional and psychological effects that form the abuser and the 'abusee.'
When the documentary premiered at MovieTowne on September 24, 2018, toward its end, there was not a dry eye among the sold-out audience. The documentary was one in a several-part series of short films screened during the T&T Film Festival.
Raped twice as a teen, becoming promiscuous, marrying a supposed 'knight in shining armour', who would eventually spend the 14 years of their marriage physically and sexually abusing her; plus a lifelong yearning and searching for the man who fathered her, left Mc Letchie feeling broken, confused, unwanted, unloved and of little worth, for most of her life.
But it was not just her own struggle to overcome, it was also that of her seven children who were present whenever a domestic brawl would occur between Mc Letchie and their father.
In the documentary, she talks about the fights that would sometimes even occur outside of the house, in full view of neighbours. These repeated acts of abuse took a toll particularly on her eldest son and daughter, who often became victims too, of their father's physical abuse. The environment became conducive to negative behaviours and poor decision making, which they both displayed for some time.
Perhaps the most difficult, but touching scene in the documentary was Mc Letchie trying one last time to connect with the father she had never met, only to be outrightly rejected and denied. This piece of reality forms a huge part of the documentary as Mc Letchie has long believed the absence of her father and the desire for his love, subconsciously influenced her choice in men.
She said among the many messages the documentary conveys, the highlight of father-daughter relationships is particularly important in the fight against domestic violence, when it comes to girls, as they go through life craving that 'fatherly love' and searching for it in all the wrong places.
"Many times, they tolerate unacceptable behaviours because they don't want to lose 'that male love'. They tend to also stay in violent relationships just so that their children could have a father.
"For me personally, my choice in men was always fuelled by my desire to have protection and security around me. This caused me to be drawn to a certain type of male," Mc Letchie explains.
Today the healing is ongoing for Mc Letchie and her children. And even though at times it seems like an insurmountable task to continue the fight, she vows never to quit her advocacy to put an end to violence against women. The clinical therapist by profession says coming forward as a survivor has changed her life immensely as she has become more accountable and responsible for her actions, as well as her choices.
Her advocacy has also made her an emblem of strength to the women she counsels and reveals this helps her to stay on the right track.
"If an 'abusee' is not intentional about their freedom and healing, they can easily find themselves in familiar situations," she advises.
Going forward Mc Letchie plans to get domestic violence awareness on the education syllabus and start her own talk show where she can raise further awareness on domestic violence. She is also in the process of writing a book where she will reveal more of her life experiences with domestic violence on a more intimate level.
