This political statement was the last film of Ousmane Sembene, the father of African cinema. He tackles the issue of female circumcision with a skilled touch. This isn't a story fueled by melodrama, but life. There is actually a great deal of humor as well as pain in this tale of empowerment.
In the film’s Burkina Faso village, girls are taken by the elder woman to have their clitoris removed. Colle (Fatoumata Coulibaly) doesn't want her daughter Amasatou (Salimata Traore) to go through the procedure, which often makes sex painful for a woman. As a result of her stance, four girls about to have the procedure flee to her house and ask for protection. As part of their customs, Colle calls a moolaade, a protection spell over her house symbolized by a colorful rope across her doorway that forbids anyone from coming into her compound to take the girls.
Colle's defiance is seen as her being hard headed at first, but as time goes by pressure builds. The mothers of the four girls want the procedure because without it they may not be able to get married. Amasatou even requests to have it done — afraid that her arranged fiancée Ibrahima (Theophile Sowie) would not marry her otherwise. Colle has faith that the French educated man will not stand by such barbaric customs.
As more time goes by, Colle's husband gets increasing pressure from the elder men. But he has little pull in a family of three wives, where the other two support Colle. But the town won't let this stand. The modern world must be influencing these defiant women. So the men round up all the radios and burn them in a pile in the middle of the town. As things get rough for Colle and her sister wives, tension builds between them as well. Their husband is not a dogmatic man, but he bends to pressure easily and is frustrated by how it seems that he cannot control his women.
Ibrahima serves as the non-African audience's window into the world. He finds the circumcisions awful. However, his father, the village chief, wants him to denounce his engagement to Amasatou and marry his 11-year-old circumcised cousin. The son boldly rejects the idea. His father blames European influences for his son's impertinence and then his son reminds him of the European influences that have provided his family with TVs and other modern luxuries.
Another key character is Mercenaire (Dominique T. Zeida), a womanizing merchant. He brings in items the village needs and sells them at exorbitant prices. Batteries are essential in a town with no electricity. He's taking advantage of these simple people and doesn't care one bit. He looks down on their backwards lifestyle, but has no problem exploiting it. It is a testament to Sembene that he makes even this character dimensional.
Through the story, he also transports us into this village. It’s such a unique place, especially to a Western audience that it’s mesmerizing. The reddish orange clay buildings are like something from STAR WARS. The town mosque looks like a porcupine. The townsfolk’s clothing is vibrantly colored. There isolation influences their lives in almost every aspect. How would they know how much batteries really cost? What other options do they have? They stick to tradition because it’s they way things have always been done and they don’t have a chance to even witness an alternative.
Sembene is clearly outraged. In a harrowing scene, Colle bites her ring during sex in order to just get through it. Two girls drown themselves in order to avoid the circumcision. The procedure is not gratuitously shown, but just seeing the small hooked knife used is cringe inducing enough. Sadly Sembene’s films are not seen on his home continent. He is more famous outside of Africa, even though he told soulful African stories.
Sembene's common sense approach is infinitely more effective than if he ramped up the drama. He understands that tradition doesn't change over night. He looks at those in support of the circumcision not has evil butchers, but as unbendingly bound to tradition. The controversial issue is at the core of what is ultimately a tale of old traditions clashing with the modern world. He argues the practical pros of modernity and simply extends that to the circumcision issue. In the process, he not only creates an important statement, but a fully realized portrait of life in this village. For many it will be like taking a trip to another beautiful and sometimes dangerous planet.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
