Welcome to Womanhood 1998
Distributed by Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-FROG (3764)
Produced by TVE and BBC
Director n/a
VHS, color, 14 min.
Adult
Anthropology, Health Sciences, Sociology
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Lori Foulke, Milton S. Eisenhower Library, Johns Hopkins UniversityWelcome to Womanhood is a sequel to The Cutting Edge, a video which examines the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) among Ugandans as part of the rites of passage young females must undergo to become women. The original video focused on REACH, a project designed to persuade Ugandans of the dangers of FGM (infection, sterilization, and even death) and to encourage the substitution of ritual gift giving for female circumcision in these rites of passage. (For more information on the series Not the Numbers Game, of which The Cutting Edge is a part, see the Bullfrog Films web page for this series: http://www.igc.apc.org/bullfrog/catalog/nots.html.) Welcome to Womanhood documents a return to the Kapchorwe region of Uganda for a subsequent circumcision ceremony, to record any changes in attitudes toward female circumcision among the Sabiny.
The video features Jackson, a male activist who has spearheaded an anti-circumcision campaign since his sister bled to death after being circumcised, and Betty, one of his recruits. Through them, and the comments of other Sabiny individuals, there is exposure to a variety of viewpoints on the issue and to the feelings of ambivalence of group members asked to abandon traditional practices.
Welcome to Womanhood has very little to add to the debate over female circumcision. It is too short to provide much in-depth information, skipping over the useful general background provided by the first video, but adding little new content. Perhaps a sequel was premature, as it seems not much has yet changed for the Sabiny since the filming of the first video. Welcome to Womanhood, like other videos on this topic, suffers from the narrator's inability to remain objective. The most lasting impression of this video is, unfortunately, not of a cultural practice which endangers women's health and lives, but instead of the moral outrage and indignation of BBC-TV correspondent Donu Kogbara.
For high school and college libraries seeking videos on the topic of female circumcision, two better choices are: Alice Walker's book and video (both entitled Warrior Marks), and Soraya Mire's 1994 documentary Fire Eyes.
Appropriate for Grade 10 to adult. Recommended only for those libraries owning The Cutting Edge.