Sanctuary

Our third installment in the "Africa series" was Moolaade. Upon watching this film, I realized that each film we watched that takes place in Africa had completely different tones and feelings to them. Darwin's Nightmare felt more interrupted by foreign cultures, such as Russia and Europe, and had a more invaded tone. Hotel Rwanda still felt dangerous and interrupted, but mostly by people who already lived in the area. The fight was more internalized, and foreign countries were not as involved. It was just as important that those countries were not involved in the plot and feeling of hopelessness in the film. Then there was Moolaade. Very different from the other two films. There was still a feeling of hopelessness throughout, a feeling that things were never going to change. This film was still about race and culture, but to me was more about gender issues.

The central plot of the film is about a small African village that still adheres to the tradition of female genital cutting. Claiming it for religious reasons, most men in the village refuse to marry or sleep with an uncut woman, or Bilakoro. Most girls are cut at a very young age by a group of elder women in matching red robes. The process takes place in the woods, a less than sanitary setting. Because the ritual is dangerous, many girls die from related problems. The main character, Colle, is a woman who lost her first daughter in the process and subsequently decided to keep her younger daughter from being cut. Knowing that Colle does not support female cutting, four young girls set to be cut run to her for protection. Colle puts a rope over her home's threshold and declares Moolaade, or magical protection. The villagers who wish to cut the girls feel that if they should cross the rope, something bad will happen to them in return. This superstitious behavior is what keep the young girls safe. It may seem odd to someone from another culture that a simple rope and single word can stop someone in their tracks. However, it is not too different from refusing to walk under a ladder or feeling uneasy if a black cat crosses your path. Every culture may have different taboos, but they come to be because of superstition.

On a little side note, what I was reminded of while watching the girls take refuge with Colle was the Disney version of Hunchback of Notre Dame. I know, but let me explain why... Colle declares Moolaade and her home becomes a safe zone for the children. I remember, several years ago, watching Quasimodo declare "Sanctuary!" for the woman he loved while she was in the church so that no one could come in to harm her. Same concept, right? The only difference is culture; one calls it Moolaade and the other Sanctuary. As a child, I did not necessarily know what Quasimodo meant when he declared this, or that it had any religious or cultural implication. What I did know was that it was very obvious that no one could cross through the door to do harm. Now that I am older and can understand what it meant, I realize that there was no physical force keeping people from entering. Rather, it was in everyone's mind that bad things would be in store for whoever decided to go against the declared protection. Though this does not make it any less powerful or influential.

Back to Moolaade, the divide between genders came to drive the plot. The females spent practically all of their time together, as did the males. It was like they were both in exclusive clubs. It is unclear until the end whether or not all men feel the same way about female cutting. In one climactic scene, Colle is whipped by her husband for being disobedient. The husband was pressured by the other men to force Colle into saying the word to revoke Moolaade. Even the women are divided, though, as some call out for her to stay strong while others tell her to give in. This only illustrates further that the gender issue is at the forefront of everything.

I think what also made Moolaade so different from the other two films was that the environment looked completely different. I know that each film took place in a different part of Africa, but the two from Tanzania and Rwanda felt more stripped down. The village in this film is fairly self-reliant, apart from people like Mercenaire who bring outside goods in to sell. Still, the isolation of the village was what struck me. And the most amazing part was that even in this small, isolated village, media was still present. The radios that the women liked to listen to were despised by the men. It was thought that this is where the women are getting ideas about independance and religion. The men eventually cannot deny the modern world, and must give in to radio and television. The powerful shot of the Ostrich egg on top of the mosque is the sybol of tradition and religious restrictments. This is followed by the even more powerful shot of a signal antenna for what is assumed to be television. These two juxtaposed together send the message that media is so powerful and influential that it will eventually take over old and outdated traditions.

Terminology:

Benighted: in a state of pitiful or contemptible intellectual or moral ignorance

Dialectician: a person skilled in philosophical debate

Quotidian: of or occurring everyday, ordinary of daily occurrence