Africa Rising: The Grassroots Movement To End Female Genital Mutilation Paula Heredia, Kenya / Mali / Somalia / Tanzania, 2009, 62 minutes
Saturday, May 15 | 12:00pm | Pacific Cinémathèque
Across Africa, women are leading a grassroots movement to end the 5,000-year-old practice of female genital mutilation. From the Horn of Africa to the Western shores of the sub-Saharan nations, 6,000 girls are subjected to a practice called female genital mutilation (FGM) every day. And every day with little more than determination and deep love for their communities, activists are leading the path to break the silence about this tradition. Together, these women and men have created a formidable grassroots movement to end FGM. A look at the frontlines of a quiet revolution taking the African continent by storm, this powerful film is one of the first to focus on African solutions to FGM.
Masterfully directed by Emmy Award winner Paula Heredia, Africa Rising travels through remote villages in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali, Somalia and Tanzania, painting an intimate portrait of courageous individuals whose passion for justice is changing the course of history. The film celebrates girls like Beatrice and Edna Kandie, sisters who fled their home after learning their father was planning to cut them, and succeeded in getting a court order of protection against him. The film also tells the moving story of Fanta Camara from Mali, who despite years of suffering from injuries as a result of FGM, blossoms into a bright young woman. Other girls, however, have faced ultimate tragedy, such as Tato, a teenage anti-FGM activist who lost her life to FGM.
Weaving together the poignant stories of girls personally affected by FGM, the film shows how African women and men are putting an end to this human rights violation. Convincing circumcisers to lay down their knives, engaging the police to implement the law, and honing leadership skills in girls, these determined activists have been working tirelessly for years to build their campaign. Africa Rising will leave the viewer cheering for these unlikely heroines who share their conviction that ending female genital mutilation is within reach and visible on the horizon.
“A powerful look at how to eliminate, from within cultures themselves, a tragic practice. This procedure is perpetrated on young girls, the most vulnerable members of society.”
– Meryl Streep
Discussion to follow with: Mosope Fagbongbe Legal Scholar, UBC
Mosope Fagbongbe recently completed her doctoral degree at UBC law. Prior to her studies in Canada, Mosope worked for several years as a lawyer, legal researcher and human rights consultant in Nigeria. “Justice is my expectation of what is right and equitable.”
Director’s biography
Paula Heredia is an award winning director and editor based in New York. Her directorial work includes the documentaries George Plimpton and the Paris Review, Ralph Gibson, and The Couple in the Cage. Heredia’s editorial work can be seen in the HBO feature-length documentary Addiction, and Alive Day Memories—Home From Iraq. She recently edited The Art of Failure: Chuck Connelly: Not for Sale and Jacques D’Ambois in China. She co-founded Heredia Pictures, heads the international committee of New York Women in Film and Television and serves on the board of advisors of Tribeca All Access and Clementina, Inc.
