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The Zambezian singer Stela Manuel performs with her band at the Gala launch of the Speak My Sister film series on stage at the Gilberto Mendes Theatre in downtown Maputo in August 2018

Members of the Socio-Cultural Association Horizonte Azul (Blue Horizon) perform on stage during the Gala launch of the Speak My Sister film series. Thier appropriation of the male warrior dance Xigubu they bring to this stage in downtown Maputo is explored in the short film 'Warrior Dancer', one of the musical portraits in the Speak My Sister series.

The maputo-based Tufo group Tufo da Mafalala perform at the Gala launch of the Sing My Sister film series, accompanying the musical portrait made by students of the film and audiovisual department of the Higher Institute of Art and Culture (ISArC), screened immediately after their performance.

The all-women hip hop group Revolução Feminina perform on stage during the Gala launch of the Speak My Sister film series. Their lyrics are a call to young Mozambican women to stand up and make sure their voices are heard.

The the women's song and dance group 'Tufo Da Mafalala' offer a fitting climax to the walking tour of Maputo's historic neighbourhood of Mafalala. This performace, recorded by students at Maputo's Higher Institute of Art and Culture offers a warm and intimate glimpse of the adaptations made to the Tufo tradition by Mafalala's migrant residents from Nampula, bringing in much needed income for the group and an unforgettable experience for the visitors.

In Gaza Province the Nwajohane Xingomana Group perform for the community and the film crew of André Bahule's film for the "Speak My Sister" film series, "Xingomana - Dance of Generations" (2018). The performances of both songs are taken from the film "Nhenha" (Bahule, 2018). a longer 26 min director's cut of the film.

Young researchers André Bahule, Angelica Novela and Isard Pindula are hosted by the community of the rural village of Nwajohane, near Manjacaze, Gaza in southern Mozambique. They learn about the lives of the wives and widows of migrant labourers working in the mines and factories accross the border in South Africa. The women share their lives, their thoughts and their songs with the young Mozambicans from the capital, reminding them of the importance of the art of conversation, of singing, dancing and telling stories ad teach them the rhythms and dance steps of their dance xingomana. This film accompanies the film produced out of this research, Xingomana - Dance of Generations. (https://vimeo.com/396504054)

What is the value of art in society and can higher education in the arts make a difference? Is there regional diversity in representation, musical research and performance and film production. A look behind the scenes of the film Stella – made by and about artists from Zambezia in central Mozambique as part of the film series Speak My Sister.

Can people from all backgrounds, men and women, rich and poor, all have the tools to research and produce their own films? What does an interdisciplinary approach to teaching film research and production in higher education add to the films produced by the next generation of Mozambican filmmakers? Take a look behind the scenes of the film Tambourines of Mafalala to see how Cesar Vitorino, Alice Cuna and Felizarda Taimo are responding to these questions.

What happens when young male students from a rural and religious background are thrown into the urban world of feminist hip-hop? This behind the scenes look at the musical protrait Rhythm, Art, Poetry and Life offers the two young men a chance to share their motivations and the impact of making the film with the band Female Revolution. When films about the feminine revolution in hip hop in the capital Maputo are made by young people from rural Mozambique, can they make a difference to those rural women they left behind?

What happens when women get behind the cameras and tell stories of women? What are some of the obstacles to attracting and retaining more women in film and video production in Mozambique? This short film asks those questions of the filmmakers behind the film "Victorious Dancer" - from the series Speak My Sister, made by an all women crew of final year film students from ISArC (the Higher Institute of Art and Culture), in Maputo, Mozambique.

Filmmakers André Bahule, Isard Pindula and Angelica Novela take their film back to the community of Nwajohane, in Gaza Province, in Southern Mozambique where it was researched and filmed.

A compilation showreel of the seven musical portraits produced out of the partnership between filmaker Karen Boswall and the film department of the Higher Institute of Art and Culture in Maputo, Mozambique. Women who 'speak' through the music and dance of different genres from traditional male warrior dance xigubu to contemporary feminist hip-hop share their stories and their songs.

Four young Mozambican women use hip hop to fight for women's rights and equality in the capital, Maput. This film was made by three students of the Instituto Superior de Arte e Cultura (ISArC), Lutegardo, Alexandre Pita and Gabrial Pita as one of the 6 films that make up the series "Fala Minha Irma' (Speak My Sister) celebrating the power of women's creative voice for social change in Mozambique.

Stella learned to sing in te fields where she chased the birds with her 'golden voice'. In this video portrait students of Maputo's University of Creative Arts (ISArC) follow Stella as she celebrates her journey balancing her studies with her art.

• Cristina's life has been marked by sexual violence since childhood. From growing up an orphan in her aunt and uncles' house and then, when she fled, in the streets of the town she ran to, violence and sexual abuse persecuted her. It was through dance that she came to face and overcome her wounds, finding her own victory over her aggressors. In this film, made by 5 of her friends, also artists, Cristina tells her story. When there are no words, she uses the physical language of dance and song. The fellow students from the University of Arts and Culture in Maputo filmmakers who researched and produced this film, give her space to share her story in her own words, listening where others haven’t. They also listen to Cristina’s current social circle of young dancers, choreographers and artists, and hear of the impact of such a challenging start in life. And together they celebrate the power of creative expression that has helped Cristina and others take the power from the violence in their lives and continue to refuse to give up on the beauty of life. Here, Cristina, the Victorious Ballerina, and her friends explore how music and dance gave hope to find a way out and show others who are going through the same difficulties that life can improve.

A portrait of a creative partnership where a young man and woman unite in their creativity. F.t (Celia Madime), and her husband Black Cross (Geraldo General) live in the suburbs of Maputo. Their relationship, their life and their dreams are all connected to the hip-hop world of their city. They work in the day and spend all their free time in the studio to compose and record their music that inspires young people from the suburbs to believe in their abilities.

The ramshackled narrow streets of Mafalala have been filled by migrants for generations. The Tufo group portrayed here brought their women's song and dance tradition from Nampula in the north. They have changed over their years in Mozambiques capital Maputo and so too has their tradition.

A musical portrait of three generations of women living in rural Gaza in southern Mozambique. “We work the land and we dance. That’s what we know how to do” Maria, the elder of the three explains. She danced Xingomana since her early childhood in colonial times, learned the new songs during the revolution, and now twists and stamps her feet in the sand alongside her daughters and grand-daughters. Through stories, song and dance, this film weaves a portrait of women’s lives over half a century and celebrates the strength and spirit reflected in their dance.

Can dance speak the unspoken? Can it embody knowledge? Can tradition change? Can girls be warriors? Filmed in collaboration with members of the socio-cultural association Blue Horizon, young girls talk about the power of the male warrior dance Xigubu and how they revindicate their rights to safe streets, safe schols and safe homes through its appropriation.

Selected extracts from Jose Cardoso's 1980 film 'Canta meu irmao ajuda-me a cantar' Sing My Brother, help me to sing, which documented traditional music accross Mozambique as the young crew of the newly frmed National Film Institute visited the participants of the first National Festival of Traditional Song and Dance in Mozambique's capital, Maputo, (formerly Lourenco Marques). This edited sequence has been edited to accompany a contemporary response to this film produced by Mozambican filmmakers in Maputo in 2018 with the series title of 'Fala Minha Irma' (Speak My sister).

Follow the films to Niassa in this illustrated radio broadcast of the popular weekly Radio Mozambique discussion show ‘Speak Mozambique’. Recorded during the National Festival of Culture, hosts Sergio Guissamulo and Nélia Nicua guide this round table discussion with four women involved in culture in Mozambique; Art Curator, Otília Akino, Music Pedagog, Melita Matsinhe, Fashion Designer Isas Baga and researcher, Speak My Sister producer and author of this website Karen Boswall. The discussion looks at the role of women in the arts and society through the lens of the festival theme Culture Promoting Women, Identity and Sustainable Development