<html>
<body>
<font size=3>Friends, i haven't seen it yet as it opens in the Bay area
Friday, but his films are always a must see (and one of my favorite
filmakers and writers).<br>
c<br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=5>'Moolaadé'<br>
</font><font face="arial" size=4><i>Ritual and
refuge</i></font><font size=3> <br><br>
<b>DESPITE BEING 81 </b>years old, director Ousmane Sembene shows no sign
of losing his edge. Sembene, who became Africa's most venerated filmmaker
on the strength of works like <i>Black Girl</i> and <i>Xala,</i> is as
incisive as ever in <i>Moolaadé,</i> a folksy feature with a tough topic:
the long-standing practice of female genital mutilation. The film takes
place in a rural village colored by the dusty browns of earth and the
vibrant primary colors of African cloths. Four young girls evade a
"purification" ceremony by seeking refuge in the bustling
household of Collé Ardo Gallo Sy (Fatoumata Coulibaly), a proud woman who
refused to have her own daughter cut. Collé declares a <i>moolaadé,</i>
invoking an ancient spell that makes her household an impenetrable safe
haven for the girls. The film examines the woman's transgression from
every imaginable angle, and while Sembene is very much on her side, he's
more interested in negotiation than in resolution. The writer-director
does for the village what Spike Lee did for the Bed-Stuy neighborhood in
<i>Do the Right Thing</i>: his kinetic editing, composition, and staging
make for a living, breathing space that allows us to feel the fiery
intensity of the characters' conflicts. <i>Moolaadé</i> is a film that's
experienced more than it's watched, and it's one of the most powerful
works to hit theaters in recent memory. (Max Goldberg) <br><br>
Stand against genital mutilation<br>
<br>
<br>
By Jacqueline Fitzgerald <br>
Tribune staff reporter <br><br>
Senegalese writer and director Ousmane Sembene is often called the father
of African cinema. It's an accurate description, but also the sort of
label that makes the famous novelist and filmmaker bristle.<br><br>
The son of a fisherman, Sembene, 81, avoids making pronouncements on his
weighty reputation or the impact of his films, many of which have a
strong feminist streak. Instead, he speaks frankly about everyday issues
facing Africans, especially women.<br><br>
One of the most serious concerns, especially for rural women, is female
circumcision--the deliberate cutting or mutilation of genitalia sometimes
referred to as a "purification" ritual. In some cases, girls
die from the mutilation. For those who survive, there are serious
psychological and physical risks, including pain, shock, hemorrhage and
infection.<br><br>
Sembene's latest movie "Moolaade" tells the story of Colle Ardo
Gallo Sy, a woman who shielded her daughter from mutilation and fights to
protect a group of girls from the procedure. By resisting, Colle faces
repercussions from her fellow villagers and endangers her daughter's
prospective marriage to the heir-apparent of the tribal throne.<br><br>
WN recently talked (via an interpreter) with Sembene about his movie,
which opens Friday at the Music Box Theater.<br><br>
Q. What does the word Moolaade mean?<br><br>
A. Sanctuary, asylum and the right to protection.<br><br>
Q. How widespread is the practice of female circumcision?<br><br>
A. It is practiced in many African countries. If you look at the African
continent, out of the 54 states that form the African union, female
genital mutilation is practiced in 38 states. ... Thousands of young
girls die from the operation.<br><br>
Q. What percentage of girls who have the procedure die?<br><br>
A. It's very hard to give exact statistics, but I would say 10 percent of
the girls die. The reason why it's hard to give statistics is because
most of it is practiced underground. Many Africans think that it is
dictated by tradition. ...<br><br>
There is a window of change because there are a lot of women who have
been mutilated themselves, but who now refuse to have their daughters go
through it. There are some states also that have passed legislation
outlawing genital mutilation.<br><br>
Q. How many states have passed legislation?<br><br>
A. About 15 countries, including Senegal. Not all groups practice it in
Senegal. Even in the same country or culture, you find that some practice
it and some do not. ...<br><br>
I think it's good to pass legislation outlawing the practice, but it
takes more than the stroke of a pen to outlaw it. I think the most
important aspect is education: Going into rural areas and talking to
people.<br><br>
Q. In the film, the character Colle (played by Fatoumata Coulibaly) is
beaten for her resistance, and the men destroy the women's radios, their
point of contact with the rest of the world.<br><br>
A. The opposition comes from their husbands and then from society at
large. [Circumcision] is very, very deeply ingrained in people's beliefs,
mostly elderly people who inherited the practice and who do not want to
give it up. ... There are many [men] who say even now that they would not
marry a woman who has not had the mutilation. ...<br><br>
The burning of the radios is not something I made up. There are a lot of
villages where men have confiscated the radios. Even now,
today.<br><br>
[Other forms of punishment] could be as bad as death. Or women being
completely marginalized, completely isolated.<br><br>
Q. What would you say to the argument that as Westerners it's not our
place to judge or criticize the practice of other cultures?<br><br>
A. You have every right to talk about it because you are expressing your
solidarity with other women in other cultures. In New York City, after a
screening, an African woman came and gave me a note telling me she had
gone through the excision and she was thanking me for giving her a voice
through the film because she is afraid to talk about it. She's
intimidated. So, if you don't talk about it here in this country, who is
going to? ... It is not the preserve of African women. And I think it's
something every human being should stand up and condemn.<br><br>
Q. Is there a big difference in audience reaction in Europe and
America?<br><br>
A. There is a great difference. Americans are more curious to know about
things and they are more open-minded. For instance, in many American
colleges and universities, every aspect of African studies is taught. And
the way things are going right now, I would even foresee a day when
American students will know more about Africa than Africans who are
studying in Africa! ... In Europe, you can count the [number of] people
who are interested in Africa. As far as Africa is concerned, Europe is
very, very backward and the reason why it's backward is there is an
assumption of superiority. ...<br><br>
I'm very happy to be able to show the film in the United States and
particularly in Chicago. I want to show a positive image of Africans
standing up for themselves.<br><br>
----------<br><br>
E-mail jfitzgerald@tribune.com<br><br>
<br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
</font><font size=3><a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">www.freedomarchives.org</a></font></body>
</html>