Moolaade (ATOM Study Guide)

Moolaadé is a documentary film suitable for upper secondary and tertiary students by renowned African filmmaker, Ousmane Sembene, dealing with the sensitive theme of female circumcision or, as it is more accurately described, 'female genital excision'. Moolaadé explores the implications of a challenge to this practice that is still the norm in at least thirty-four nations of the world.

Set in the small African village of Djerisso, in Burkina Faso, the film explores the roles of men and women in traditional society, the clash of traditional and modern values and the central issue of the consequences of female genital excision. Moolaadé is the story of six young African girls who flee from their euphemistically named 'purification ceremony' seeking refuge in the home of Colié, a woman known to oppose circumcision. A central theme in Moolaadé is Colié's courage in standing firm against this tradition and most of the people of her village.

Moolaadé was written, produced and directed by 81-year-old Senegal-born Ousmane Sembene, the man generally accepted as 'the father of African cinema'.

Curriculum Links

Moolaadé is a film that would be suitable for upper secondary and tertiary students across the discipline-based areas of:

• Women's Studies
• English
• History
• Geography
• Religious Studies
• Ethics
• Social Studies
• Politics
• Film Studies
• Psychology