Moolaadé
Synopsis: Four little girls facing the ritual of purification (known in the west as female circumcision) escape and find refuge in the house of a woman who years before prevented the ritual to be performed on her daughter.
Technical Details
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Review
Moolaadé is the last film of Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene, considered the father of African cinema. In it, he delivers a critical look at the ritual of purification or female circumcision, still routinely practiced in many African countries. The story follows Collé, a woman who once opposed to have the ritual performed on her only daughter. Four little girls that are about to go through the ritual manage to run away and having heard about Collé come to her for help. Collé invokes the Moolaadé, an ancient spell of protection that prevents anyone from taking the girls from her, as any such thing would make the spirits angry. Collé then faces the opposition of the village elders, one of them her own husband, who pressure her to surrender the four girls and also her own daughter to the ritual. The arrival of the son of one of the elders from France, with the purpose of marrying Collé’s daughter adds yet another dimension to the conflict, as the marriage is put on hold by the father when he learns that Collé’s daughter hasn’t gone through the purification.
This film provides an interesting look at life in a small African village. Everyday details like the relationship between husbands and wives, wives of the same man among themselves (Collé is second of three wives) and parents with their sons and daughters are explored in good detail. While the film succeeds in sending a message against the horrendous practice of female circumcision, the story in itself seems artificially staged to make this message more powerful. This film may be a good educational tool if shown to those who believe in this ritual.
©2008 by Miguel Grinberg
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