Using MOOLAADE to Advance the Rights of African Girls

In February of this year FORWARD was delighted to be awarded a grant from The Sigrid Rausing Trust for a new programme to use the film MOOLAADÉ as an advocacy tool with which to tackle FGM and promote action for the realisation of the reproductive and sexual rights of girls and women in Africa.

This programme ‘Advancing the Human Rights of African Girls’ is expected to initially take place in Sudan, Ethiopia and Tanzania. A pilot launch of the film has already taken place in Sudan, in partnership with SIHA Network. The response was very positive so watch this space!

Moolaadé is a film about African women’s resistance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), written and produced by the highly acclaimed Senegalese film director, Ousmane Sembene. Moolaadé won the award for Best Film in the Un Certain Regard category at the Cannes Film festival in 2004. FORWARD was proud to launched the UK première of the film in May 2005, followed by a panel discussion led by FGM and development experts including representatives from the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), Inter-Africa Committee on Harmful Traditional Practices (IAC) – an African women’s movement with national chapters in more than twenty eight African countries campaigning against FGM and FORWARD.

‘Moolaadé is available to purchase from HMV and Amazon and is seriously recommended viewing- enjoy!