Films, A Powerful Way To Shine The Light
Ethiopia The breathtaking film tackles FGM In an effort to campaign for the urgent need to take action to help end FGM. The UNPF, collaborated with talented Toronto-based filmmaker Sara Elgamal to produce a stunning documentary film, ‘ A Piece of Me’, that focuses on the stories of three Ethiopian women, Zahra, Abida and Khadija,
who refuse to be defined by their past traumas of FGM . In Ethiopia, FGM affects 65% of women and girls today. The Afar region where Zahra, Abida and Khadija live is one of two regions where prevalence remains high at 91%. It was evident that Sara successfully covered this difficult subject in a powerful,
yet delicate way. The campaign and breathtaking film was unquestionably successful in sparking heavy conversations around an issue that affects the lives of millions of women and girls, as well as conversations we either feel ashamed to discuss or, intentionally or unintentionally forget about.
A Girl From Mogadishu Somalia
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ilms are a great way to tell a story, while opening our eyes to the lives and experiences of things affecting us. Movies on FGM have been produced by many activists to help raise awareness on such practices and to showcase some of the actions others further shine the light. To generate awareness on those hidden consequences resulting from FGM
practices, to pass the message to the general public, particularly within the African communities where the archaic practices still prevail. UNFPA and other private funders have sponsored the production of such films to keep the movement alive We’ve put together a list of some movies from Africa you can watch to learn more about FGM and GBV.
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A Girl from Mogadishu is the story of how real-life social activist Ifrah Ahmed “came to understand, develop, and employ the most potent of campaign tools, her own true story, and use it to an empowering and extraordinary effect.” Fleeing war-torn Somalia in 2006, Ahmed (played in the movie by Aja Naomi King) is trafficked to Ireland where a traumatic medical examination when she seeks asylum reveals the extent of her genital mutilation as a child. Traumatised by the memory, she channels the experience
into a force for change. Ahmed is now one of the world’s leading international activists against GBV and FGM “A Girl From Mogadishu is based on my story, but it is also the story of the 200 million women and girls worldwide who have suffered the consequences of FGM,” said Ahmed. “And while the movie is intended to focus attention on the barbarity and scale of the practice, its ambition is also to empower all young women and girls to have the courage to stand up and speak out.” The movie trailer ends with this 87
powerful statement from King, as Ahmed: “Whether black or white, we are all women. Women who are entitled to the same human rights, no matter where we come from”.
