Didi to didi: a message from domestic worker to domestic worker [दिदिलाइ दिदिको सन्देश]

Researcher: Grace Mueller, PhD Candidate in Geography at the University of Cambridge
Collaborators: Cobra Collective
The ‘Didi to didi’ project is a film written for domestic workers by domestic workers in Nepal. The film explores the hidden issues and constraints domestic workers face daily, yet are unable to validate with a community of workers due to the relative isolation of their working conditions. This film ‘acts’ upon the domestic work industry by breaking down information silos over the norms and conditions pervading domestic work more widely. Through the questions and advice format, the film encourages domestic workers in Nepal and around the world on themes of agency, economic equality and dignity of work. 'Didi to didi' is part of a wider ethnographic project, researching the labour market for domestic work in Nepal. This research explores the processes, values, logics and behaviours that shape and maintain domestic work in both households and hostels, contributing to theorizations of 'actually existing' markets in place.