Educational Media Reviews Online

The film focuses on the painful personal account of Baaba Andoh, a young woman who fled Ghana to avoid genital mutilation, was arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service upon arrival, and sent to prison before she obtained political asylum. This narrative resonates with the stories of many African women who arrive in the U.S. to flee genital mutilation and attain asylum made possible by the precedent-setting case in 1996 of Fauziya Kasinga, which ruled that female genital mutilation (FGM) constituted persecution.

The film opens with Baaba directly addressing the camera. As she recounts her past experience in Ghana, the camera captures local street signs, as well as scenes of Accra with people engaged in daily activities to illustrate her narrative. Vibrant background music accompanies this sequence as Baaba describes her relatively happy existence culminating in her marriage to “the love of her life.” Longing for the blessings of her long-lost father, Baaba finds him in his village, then despairs when her father imposes an arranged marriage to a local wealthy man and requires her to undergo the FGM as a necessary preceding ritual. With help from her relatives and friends, Baaba flees her father’s village, and after two months of hiding in Takoradi and Accra, she leaves Ghana with a forged passport. She is arrested upon arrival in the U.S. and spends a year in detention before successfully obtaining political asylum.

Based upon Baaba’s testimony, the film presents an anti-FGM stance and a spectrum of issues surrounding the notion of marriage and control of the woman’s body. The FGM has been denounced by feminist and human rights activists internationally as violence against women and as a particularly cruel form of sexual control. Many African nations prohibit it and yet, women continue to undergo some form of this practice perpetuating tradition and myth. The film ends by presenting a set of data including the number of women annually fleeing FGM and seeking political asylum (2,000); and the number of girls and women undergoing the procedure (6,000). This disturbing data challenge the viewers to reflect on the complexities of a tradition that imposes a drastic and harmful procedure that mutilates the woman’s body with life long consequences.

Highly recommended as an instructional resource for discussion and study in women’s studies, sociology, African studies, and anthropology.

Awards:

• Best Documentary, Aspen Shortsfest, 2003