Why My Phone Makes Me Possible
They are key learning tools for survival and education in other parts of the world. By Zuriel, 16, Los Angeles.
16-year-old Nigerian-American Zuriel Oduwole is a force. In addition to flying around the world to advocate for girls’ education (and meeting with 28 presidents!), she is first and foremost a filmmaker who uses her camera to drive social and political change. Very Gen Z of her. We asked Zuriel to talk about how mobile technology has the potential to tackle gender inequality and change the lives of millions of girls around the world.
Two months ago, in September 2018, I was truly honored to stand up and speak before a few hundred people during the United Nations General Assembly week. I was invited to share my experience of what technology has done for me as a young filmmaker, and to communicate my understanding of what the absence of technology means in the lives of girls across Africa, Asia and South America.
As a documentary filmmaker, I shoot scenes on my smart phone in high resolution while I am traveling across the globe, and on the streets of various countries. Then I simply download the video files when I get to my hotel and start editing. Of course, I always WhatsApp my sisters and mom back home every two or three hours, to tell them how my project is going on the road. Sometimes I take goofy pictures of myself on the set of my shoot, and send funny videos to my younger siblings. When I want to post on social media, my phone is my personal assistant.
While smartphones are very cool tools for us here in the US and places like Europe and Australia, they are key learning tools for survival and education in other parts of the world. Many men own smartphones and use them as leverage against young women. Young women need smartphones of their own to surf the internet in order to learn about themselves and the rest of the world. They could educate themselves on topics that are deemed taboo in their cultures, such as puberty and self-development.
I’d like to see more phone companies like Motorola or Samsung supporting female education, by sending phones for free to girls in developing countries. Then maybe, when my next film comes out, they too could watch it for free on their smartphones. A smartphone would have come full circle — shooting a film, and then becoming a platform for others to watch the film as well.
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“There is so much that we use our phones for, such as checking the weather, checking our emails, our grades, the news, our text messages, setting alarm clocks, social media, phone calls, researching something, taking a picture, writing something, studying, etc. It’s not like we sit around playing a game on our phones and nothing productive. In fact, I don’t even have time to play games on my phone or anything. I really just use my phone as a tool, and I think a lot of other people do as well.”-STELLA, 15, NEW YORK CITY
“By growing up around technology, we have learned to use technological resources for good.” -GRACE,18, OREGON
“Yes I think this is true, and its probably because so much of our lives have been transferred to our devices. However, I think this will change in the near future, I`m definitely not hating on phones or social media, I think its awesome, but it might be a little much at times. We must not forget to live in the real world and have real- life experiences and adventures.”-HELENA, 17, VANCOUVER
“Technology is very important in my life. First of all, it is important to me to stay connected with friends and even immediate family that are across the world. Second, technology can be used to find communities of like-minded people and feel validated in those communities. Third, I use technology to give myself a platform for sharing my art and ideas.”-ELIZABETH, 19, UK
