2015 Winners & Shortlists

RAISE SHAWWA'S VOICE

Bronze

Case Film

Presentation Board

BrandKAFA
Product/ServiceDOMESTIC WORKERS ABUSE
EntrantRÉPUBLIQUE Beirut, LEBANON
CategoryMicrosites
Entrant Company RÉPUBLIQUE Beirut, LEBANON
Advertising Agency RÉPUBLIQUE Beirut, LEBANON

Creative Execution

The site consisted of a film, showing Shawwa, the voice of all domestic workers suffering abuse in Lebanon. The film was simply her speaking directly to the camera, in separate versions: one silent, one soft and meek, one confident and loud. Using an algorithm that worked on the basis of people sharing, the site wouldn't allow viewers to hear Shawwa at all until they shared the site on social media. Once they did, they could hear her speak. The more people shared at any time of day, the more her voice rose. The less they shared, the lower it went.

Our aim was to raise Shawwa's voice to be loud enough to expose the atrocities domestic workers experience in Lebanon. In the first 6 days, Shawwa's voice was shared/heard by 18,000, sparking a debate across social media, revealing the real, and some unexpected, underlying issues that needed to be examined in order to find real solutions. As of today, laws are yet to be changed, but in the wake of Shawwa, other domestic workers have spoken louder, as can be seen in the newly formed labor union.

Raise Shawwa's Voice is a campaign to spread awareness on the abuse suffered by domestic workers in Lebanon and in turn the rising suicide rate and unnatural deaths amongst them due to the abuse. The campaign's main message was to demand serious investigation into these deaths, in order to combat the source of the problem. KAFA have a strong following in Lebanon due to their ongoing social efforts, but the campaign targeted a large number of Lebanese who are still unaware of the constant abuse suffered by domestic workers in the country. In Lebanon, many might be vaguely aware of how domestic workers suffer in Lebanon, but still don't know the real facts. This insight paved the way for us to create a campaign that reveal to the Lebanese the truth about what's happening in Lebanon and get them to speak out on the behalf of the domestic worker's cause.

Credits

Name Company Role
Fadi Mroue République Creative Director
Yasmin Murad République Creative Director
Sami Kiwan Republique Digital Art Director
Bernard Khalil Bernard Khalil Productions Director
Emile Harb Codefish Project Manager
Ayman Serhan Codefish Project Manager
Links
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