Zanzibar Soccer Dreams Filming Locations

The dawn of an era for women's football in Zanzibar. This film is a follow-up to the 2007 Zanzibar Soccer Queens which focused on Women Fighters Football Club, a team of strong-willed Muslim women determined to play soccer to better their lives. The women's resistance to cultural norms has taken them beyond the borders of their country, and away from the confines of negative attitudes. When the players visited Potsdam, Germany, in 2009, this created a buzz and attitudes started to change. The once marginalized football "hooligans" are considered 'cultural Ambassadors. As one player declares, "Men who used to say you are hooligans, have no more words left". Muslim schoolgirls can now play soccer as part of their physical education, but despite limited football equipment and facilities, the girls cherish the freedom and the right to play. One schoolgirl reflects on how she "used to get irritated that only boys could play football." Another girl expresses her delight and pride that "Something great has happened to girls."