"Moolade"
is an eerie depiction of a strong tradition of the Senegalese people. The movie explores the barbarity of female genital mutilation with a focus on the human cost of this horrific and painful ritual set against the backdrop of contemporary Africa. The movie is set in a small African village in Senegal, where four young girls who are supposed to undergo the ritual circumcision flee to Colle's house- a woman who was able to keep her own daughter from taking part in the ritual. Colle's daughter was supposed to marry the heir to the tribal throne, and because of her resistance she causes havoc in her household. As the movie progresses, and the girls come to Colle for refugee, the tension and opposition in the village grows. Colle and her Moolade or sanctuary, is faced by the backwards village traditionalists who are enraged that she is opposing a time honored tradition. What was most shocking to me was that the men and woman alike took part in the opposition. Not only that, at times, it seemed that the women were more infuriated with Colle than the men, and the women were instigating the fury among the men. Till the very last bit of the movie, the women of the tribe who were proponents of genital mutilation were putting
But underlying the repetitive rhythm of work and children playing, are muted undercurrents of violence and abuse ranging from horrific genital mutilation of young girls that results in death and suicide, to the sexual and physical abuse that wives suffer at the hands of their barbaric husbands, to the mob murder of "mercenaire. Colle seems to have a fair impact on him, and there is a sense that he loves his wife, but it isn't long until his barbaric spirit shines through as he sexually abuses his wife in a rape like scene, and then as he publicly beats her- a scene that reminded me of the abuse that Jesus underwent in "Passion of the Christ. up the toughest battle for Colle, while the men deliberated on the side. Genital mutilation is finally ended, but not before a long hard battle was fought by one very powerful woman who adamantly stood for what she believed, and managed to almost single-handedly change the system from within. He does however get very pissy about the entire radio scene, where the elders decree that the women can no longer have their radios because it is having a negative consequence on their backwardness! After the public beating, Colle is joined first by her senior co-wife, and then slowly all the women of the village join her in her fight against the brutal custom, but it still amazes me that so many women would put up such a strong fight till the very last bitter drop. He is the most sympathetic male to Colle's cause, and sure enough, not fitting the mold of a "Man/Barbarian" he is kicked out of the village in the middle of the night and then murdered by the barbaric mob. Colle's husband, on his own, seems not to be adamant about imposition of the ritual, but he is spurred on by his father and other elders of the tribe to force his wife to commit their child to genital mutilation. " There are a few male figures that really stood out in the movie as having at least a tinge of compassion for Colle, or at least some dismay with the traditional system- these were men who had sympathy or at the minimum saw that change is necessary. A great part of the movie focuses on minor squabbles between women as they run around doing their daily chores- filling up buckets, cooking, watching the children, shopping, and preparing for the return from France of the young educated heir to the throne. " Still, there is a soft spot that shines through his heart. Colle can not stand to have her only child mutilated. The young returning student is the most pathetic display of a male- though he may have been sympathetic to Colle and though he still wanted to marry her daughter without her undergoing mutilation, he totally succumbs to his father- the village elder, until he witnesses the women's resistance. The focus of the movie seemed to be less about the actual importance of the ritual, and more about the depiction of a backward society that is stuck to traditions which clearly make no sense- the suffering that the young girls undergo, and the risk of their death is clearly not worth holding the ritual, but it is the women who feel so strongly about maintaining it, and seemingly because it is a ritual that they are used to from the point of time and tradition- there seems to be no actual value attributed to the process. She repeatedly has flashbacks to the time that she was cut up during her caesarean to have her only daughter. He was once imprisoned for speaking out against corrupted army superiors and now his fate turns as he openly stands out to defend Colle.
Common topics in this essay:
Colle Moolade,
Passion Christ,
,
genital mutilation,
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Acceptance Essays
