Moolaadé Story Essay

Seven years ago, a woman and a mother refused to subject her only daughter to be under the atrocious practice of female circumcision. Moolaadà © is the story of this woman, Collà © Ardo, a seditious and strong-minded second wife of Cirà © in a small secluded African village who single-handedly refused to allow five girls to suffer through the customary Salindà © ceremony. She was in opposition with the practice of genital mutilation due to her personal experiences and she didn’t want others to suffer like her. Collà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Moolaadà © enraged the Salindana, who were the women who performed â€Å"purification† ritual and the male elders who viewed her actions as threats to their values. As a sign of dominance, the men confiscated the women’s radios, which devastated the women because it was their source to news and music outside of their isolated lives. When the five girls escaped the Salindà © ceremony and came to Collà ©, she willingly offered them Moolaadà ©, or protection. Collà © was scarred after losing two children during childbirth due to her own genital mutilation. She remembers the pain she had to go through and the nurse had to open her up to deliver her only surviving daughter, Amasatou. Collà © remained firm that she would never let Amasatou to endure the agony of being cut. Collà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s interference with the old tradition caused outrage in the dominating patriarchal society who viewed her actions as disrespect to tradition and Islamic religion. The male elders took away the women’s radios because they didn’t want women being influenced by radical ideas. Collà © was intensely pressured by the Salindana and the male elders, including her husband to lift the Moolaadà ©. Her refusal forced her husband to whip her publically but she never once uttered the word. Collà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s actions reflected her bravery and determination which â€Å"mobilized† the other women in the village to support Collà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s intentions and realize the horrid effects of purification. She was an intelligent woman who encouraged the other women to realize that the men were oppressing them from the truth by taking away their radios, so the women wouldn’t ponder over unreasonable ideas. Collà © supported her deep-rooted opposition to genital mutilation with evidence that contradicted the men’s inaccurate dictations. While, listening to the radio Collà © had learned that Islam didn’t tolerate female genital mutilation because thousands of Muslim women would go to Mecca for pilgrimage and they weren’t cut, which shocked many of the male elders who still appeared to be ignorant. Through this, the women in the village united together and bonded through the pain each of them suffered through their genital mutilations. There is a sense of relief and happiness that reflect off these women in the end when they burned the knives used to bring suffering to generations of women who feel under the dreadful practice. As Collà © and the village women in their struggles end the practice of female genital cutting, they began their own feminism movement revolutionizing their purpose in society. Both characters having seen the world beyond the village and convinced of the need for change become unlikely allies of Collà © and the village women in their struggles to end the practice of female genital cutting. Such unlikely partnerships forged across ethnic, class, gender and generational lines have historically been crucial to the success of human rights struggles. In the campaign against the practice of female genital cutting, they are essential and Mooladà © shows us why. caused a sudden awareness among the other oppressed women in the village when her husband whipped her publically but she never once uttered the word. Allegedly eradication Unlike many recent Hollywood made films about Africa, Mooladà © is a story about Africa made by Africans from a distinctly local perspective. Yet, it speaks to universal themes of power, oppression and emancipation. In depicting one woman’s struggle to protect others from an oppressive and inhibiting tradition, Sembene brings great sensitivity and nuance to topic that is often discussed from simplistic, patronizing and polarizing standpoints. He deftly explores not only the conflict between local traditional values and the influence of modern ideas, but also the gender and generational tensions within a community largely isolated from the outside world. Although the film obviously seeks to challenge the practice of female genital cutting and raise questions about its legitimacy, it does so with sensitivity to underlying social complexities. It provides a glimpse into the perspective of local African tribesmen who see the practice of female genital cutting as process of â€Å"purification† and older women who see it as a necessary rite of passage for their daughters. However disagreeable their positions may appear, Sembene brings their voices to the story in a way that is neither condescending nor patronizing. Beyond its message, Mooladà © is a cinematic delight. Sembene assembles a group of colourful characters that add depth to his portrayal of rural African life and make for a more compelling storyline. Although this film is essentially about the local tribulations of an African village, it still mange to engage the outside world through two intriguing characters — a local itinerant vendor, nicknamed Mercenaire who previously worked as an aid worker, and a favoured son of the village Chief, Ibrahima, who returns home from his studies in France to take a bride. Both characters having seen the world beyond the village and convinced of the need for change become unlikely allies of Collà © and the village women in their struggles to end the practice of female genital cutting. Such unlikely partnerships forged across ethnic, class, gender and generational lines have historically been crucial to the success of human rights struggles. In the campaign against the practice of female gen ital cutting, they are essential and Mooladà © shows us why. Ultimately, this movie is not simply about oppression and social turmoil or about progressive citizens and regressive traditions. It is more about the resilience of the human spirit and the tenacity of ordinary people determined to change their destinies. It is an excursion into the dilemmas that confront a society caught in the midst of social and cultural change. For the human rights scholar and teacher, it provides a subtle but invaluable resource for raising awareness about the practice of female genital cutting and offers a means of understanding and explaining a controversial topic to an audience unfamiliar with the social and cultural intricacies associated with the practice. Set in a remote Muslim village in Burkina Faso, Mooladà © is the story of Collà ©, a defiant and strong-willed second wife of an elder in a West African village who refuses to allow four little girls to undergo the traditional circumcision ceremony. After losing two daughters in childbirth due to her own circumcision, Collà © had refused to allow her surviving daughter, Amasatou, to face the ordeal of being cut. Colle’s moolaadà © stirs the anger of the Salidana, a group of women dressed in red gowns who perform the mutilation. She is also forced to stand up to the intimidation of her husband and his brother and the male elders in the village who see her as a threat to their values. As a gesture of control, the men confiscate the women’s radios, their main source of news of outside life. Rigidly defending their traditions and what they questionably see as a practice sanctioned by Islam, they also turn against an itinerant merchant they call Mercenaire (Dominique Zeida) who comes to the aid of Colle in a shocking scene of public flogging. As the issue becomes crystallized, many women rally to Colle’s support whose courage in the face of determined opposition is of heroic proportions. She is thrust into an unfolding drama of village politics when she offers Mooladà © (protection) to the girls who escape the circumcision ceremony. Mooladà © is the mystical protection which in the local custom can be invoked to provide place of safety. Collà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s interference draws the fury of her deeply patriarchal community which sees her action as an affront on its culture and Islamic religion. Collà © can lift the Mooladà © with a single word and comes under the intense pressure of the male elders, her husband and some fellow women to do so. Her resolute refusal to lift the Mooladà © draws other women and girls to her cause and sets the stage for a standoff with the village elders that erupts in the centre of the village and shatters the tranquility of the community. Unlike many recent Hollywood made films about Africa, Mooladà © is a story about Africa made by Africans from a distinctly local perspective. Yet, it speaks to universal themes of power, oppression and emancipation. In depicting one woman’s struggle to protect others from an oppressive and inhibiting tradition, Sembene brings great sensitivity and nuance to topic that is often discussed from simplistic, patronizing and polarizing standpoints. He deftly explores not only the conflict between local traditional values and the influence of modern ideas, but also the gender and generational tensions within a community largely isolated from the outside world. Although the film obviously seeks to challenge the practice of female genital cutting and raise questions about its legitimacy, it does so with sensitivity to underlying social complexities. It provides a glimpse into the perspective of local African tribesmen who see the practice of female genital cutting as process of â€Å"purification† and older women who see it as a necessary rite of passage for their daughters. However disagreeable their positions may appear, Sembene brings their voices to the story in a way that is neither condescending nor patronizing. Beyond its message, Mooladà © is a cinematic delight. Sembene assembles a group of colourful characters that add depth to his portrayal of rural African life and make for a more compelling storyline. Although this film is essentially about the local tribulations of an African village, it still mange to engage the outside world through two intriguing characters — a local itinerant vendor, nicknamed Mercenaire who previously worked as an aid worker, and a favoured son of the village Chief, Ibrahima, who returns home from his studies in France to take a bride. Both characters having seen the world beyond the village and convinced of the need for change become unlikely allies of Collà © and the village women in their struggles to end the practice of female genital cutting. Such unlikely partnerships forged across ethnic, class, gender and generational lines have historically been crucial to the success of human rights struggles. In the campaign against the practice of female gen ital cutting, they are essential and Mooladà © shows us why. Ultimately, this movie is not simply about oppression and social turmoil or about progressive citizens and regressive traditions. It is more about the resilience of the human spirit and the tenacity of ordinary people determined to change their destinies. It is an excursion into the dilemmas that confront a society caught in the midst of social and cultural change. For the human rights scholar and teacher, it provides a subtle but invaluable resource for raising awareness about the practice of female genital cutting and offers a means of understanding and explaining a controversial topic to an audience unfamiliar with the social and cultural intricacies associated with the practice. Set in a remote Muslim village in Burkina Faso, Mooladà © is the story of Collà ©, a defiant and strong-willed second wife of an elder in a West African village who refuses to allow four little girls to undergo the traditional circumcision ceremony. After losing two daughters in childbirth due to her own circumcision, Collà © had refused to allow her surviving daughter, Amasatou, to face the ordeal of being cut.