Global health documentaries worth watching: From this year’s symposium

The Documentary Series Discussion, yet another of the online symposium’s engaging and thought-provoking online activities, took place earlier this week. The event offered an opportunity for symposium participants to discuss and further reflect on three selected global health documentaries: Bending the Arc, First Do No Harm, and In Our Hands. With the use of stimulatory questions as well as impromptu comments, the participants discussed what shocked them about the documentaries, shared their critiques of the content, and used the documentaries to reflect on personal experiences.

The event ended with a thought-provoking discussion on how moral dilemmas are inherent in much of the work of global health professionals. However, it was discussed how engaging in continuous self-reflection helps us to better understand our motivations and ensure that our work is collaborative and sustainable. As well, the importance of continuing this dialogue with colleagues, building long-term partnerships, being open to difficult conversations, and taking on a learning role were touched upon during the discussion. For anyone that has not had the chance to watch these documentaries, we invite you to take some time to watch them, reflect on your own experiences, and continue the discussion with peers.

For those who have watched the documentaries and/or are interested in exploring these topics further, several useful resources were shared by faculty and students during the discussion:

Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma – For those interested in a film along the same lines as Bending the Arc: www.nfb.ca/film/triage_dr_james_orbinskis_humanitarian_dilemma_edu/

Research principles and research experiences: critical reflection on conducting a PhD dissertation on global health and disability (Cleaver et al, 2016) –  an article that highlights the importance of critical reflection and the CCGHR principles: disabilityglobalsouth.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/dgs-03-02-04.pdf

Case studies from ethical challenges experienced in humanitarian healthcare contexts: humanitarianhealthethics.net/home/hheat/cases/

Informative Instagram Pages 

1)      nowhitesaviors – based in Uganda; discusses a diverse range of topics such as white saviorism and voluntourism 
2)      everydayafrica

Natasha Pereira