I love viewing independent films and documentaries. Last weekend, I attended a uniquely excellent African women's film and video festival. I was deeply moved by the universal struggles of sisterhood that I witnessed on screen.
I viewed five classic films:
1."Selbe: One Among Many", directed by Safi Faye of Senegal, depicted the sexism in the brutal imbalances of labor and child care in rural families. I was enraged as I watched pathetic excuses for men/fathers/husbands sit like zombies while their wives toiled like slaves to cook, clean, and provide incomes. Many of these women labored with infants literally tied to their backs.
I also noticed how the young boys played while the young girls trained to become elder slaves. Mothers have an obligation to liberate their daughters and educate their sons to eradicate the sexist sins of their fathers. The hands that rock the cradles can change the world. This film reminded me of the universal abuses of women by lazy sexist men. These villagers are abused just as the urbane corporate wives who become slaves after office hours to their corporate husbands and children.
2. In "These Hands" directed by Flora M'Mbugu-Schelling of Tanzania, I witnessed the brutality of poverty. Economic exploitation via wretched labor is also universal. I watched sisters forced to eke out an existence by pounding rocks into pebbles for gravel corporations. They worked for slave wages in horrid conditions, without daycare or basic amenities.
This reminded me of all my fellow slaves to corporate contracting pools and temporary agencies. Such agencies are the new overseers for corporations nationwide. We also work with no benefits and nominal pay. "Workfare" is a neocon code word for a new breed of slavery that is designed to quickly fuel wage decreases and downsizing nationwide.
3. "Women With Open Eyes", directed by Anne-Laure Folly of Togo, was a refreshing ray of hope among the other harsher glimpses of reality. This film revealed portraits of fiercely feminist women in Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Benin. It featured sisters who were savvy entrepreneurs, rebel activists against traditional pedophilia via forced marriages of young girls to old men, sister warriors against the torturous traditions of female genital mutilation, and defiers of sexist laws. I loved watching young girls silently observe their mothers as superior shopkeepers and bookkeepers in training. I was reminded that warriors are everywhere. Strong sisters are VICTORIOUS in every arena on every continent. This is why weak men hate us so. Where there are rebels, there is always resistance and hope.(This film inspired international travel plans...)
4. "Monday's Girls", directed by Ngozi Onwurah of Nigeria, was a classic look at a sister who dared to defy sexist traditions. She refused to bare her breasts in a ceremonial rite of passage. She also refused to be taken into seclusion for weeks, to be weighed down with leg irons to become fattened for marriage. Her refusal to betray her own sense of decency and dignity was regarded as a disgrace by her family, and her entire village. She made it clear that she did not give a damn.
I cheered for her. I admire anyone who stands by righteous convictions. I revere all who are passionate about individual principles. I loved this film as much as I loathed a rude, loud, misogynistic, obnoxious, uncivilized, and ignorant, African-American "brother" in the audience who yelled at the screen to her "You won't make no good wife for no African!" He was exhibit A for: "How any word can become a slur when spoken by scum..." Clearly, his definition of "African" is as proper as his manners. For kufi-clad sexist pigs like him, "African" is synonymous with "weak, oppressive, sexist and foolish boy". As the sheroe of this film stated: "Some traditions need to be changed". I agree!!!
5. The best was saved for last. My favorite film was "Fire Eyes" directed by the beautiful Soraya Mire of Somalia. It is a classic and graphic film on the carnage of female genital mutilation. Never before had I seen actual photos of mutilated adult vaginas or actual surgical child torture. I was deeply pained and vehemently enraged.
A beautiful, empathetic, warm and articulate African-American male surgeon expertly detailed the brutality of the entire process, and the painful avenues of corrective surgery. Psychological correction is far less frequent or feasible. This doctor was a much needed balance for the ugliness of the arrogant sexism and brazen disregard flaunted by several Somalian "men".
One bold bastard actually stated "Women are like doors. They need to be shut closed to ensure fidelity." (I wondered how many times he committed adultery by opening someone else's "door".) Another rabid dog stated: "Our grandmothers did not complain, so do not mess with tradition." A third beast stated: " Men have higher sex drives. Women do not need to enjoy sex. Men need polygamy so they do not have to bother with women who are menstruating or pregnant."
Real men are compassionate. Real men are not selfish and sadistic with sex. They are gentle lovers. They sincerely want women to enjoy having sex with them. They do not embrace torture as tradition, concubines as birthrights, or women as hardware/property. They also understand that, if their grandfathers had been forced to traditionally endure complete castrations (the actual biological equivalent of female genital mutilation, misnomered as "circumcision"...), THEY WOULD ALSO REBEL!
Female genital mutilation causes a lifetime of excruciating pain and infections. It can ruin the bladder, intestines, and even crush the skulls of babies during childbirth. It can make urination, orgasm, masturbation, and menses painful or impossible. It scars the body, mind and soul eternally. No real human could accept or encourage such misery. For more information on the horrors of this torture read/see Warrior Marks by Alice Walker.
Female genital mutilation should be BANNED GLOBALLY!!! So should sexism and ignorance. All are related. All are wrong.
I dedicate this column to Reel Women, the sponsors of
this outstanding African
film festival. Thank you for sharing these sisters' works.
For more information on
these and other films, contact Reel Women at 510-848-1143.