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Molaade


A scene from Moolaadé


A village built around one of West Africa's oldest mosques is the setting for this provocative and inspirational drama, part two of Ousmane Sembene's tryptich about everyday heroism, Colle Ardo Gallo Sy (Fatoumata Coulibaly) is a second wife who was circumcised in her youth but who has shielded her own daughter from 'purification', the ritual of female genital mutilation which takes place in the village every seven years. When a group of young girls about to undergo the ritual come to Ardo seeking asylum, she takes them in. Standing up to the bullying tactics of the village elders who insist that Ardo's weak willed husband should discipline his wife, she refuses to lift the protective ban - Moolaadé - which prevents villagers from entering her house and taking the girls against their will. Widely regarded as the father of African cinema, Sembene made this film with the avowed intent of stirring debate in Africa, where 38 of the member states still carry out female genital mutilation. With its strong and sympathetic female lead, and its sly observations of the intricacies of village life, this is politically engaged storytelling at its most absorbing. SH

Dir Ousmane Sembene with Fatoumata Coulably, Maimouna H Diarra, Salimata Traore Senegal 2004/124 mins