Ousmane Sembène- Moolaadé

Watching this feature film left me with several questions and lessons.

The film was released in 2004, and was the last film directed by Senegalese, Ousmane Sembène before his death in 2007. Sembène is noted as the first African film director to achieve international recognition.

The film is about Female Genital Mutilation- a fictional story that looks so real. I asked whether it was based on a true story, surprisingly, it was fictional. Sembène is a good story teller who brought the ills of FGM without preaching.

Highlights of the film are:

• Women being kept from listening to radio, because they were being taught Western values.
• Colle defying her husband's orders to revoke the Moolaadé-spell that protected the girls who ran to her for protection. She endured the lashes from her husband just to  save the girls.
• The way being a Bilakoro- Uncircumcised girl was considered unclean.
• The coexistence of multiple wives in a polygamous marriage, and the respect they have for each other.
• FGM makes a woman's life miserable not only in childbirth but also during sex with her husband. (Colle cuts her finger to camouflage the bleeding after a night with her husband) 
• It is not so much about the cultural practices. Oppressive cultural practices are about power.

After the film, I did not talk much. I was however thinking of the Maasai of Kenya. Some of them still practice FGM, together with other communities. The reason my thoughts went to the Maa community was because I recently met a son of Maasai, with whom we were considering a relationship. 

In a bid to be sure, I asked him whether his community practiced FGM. His answer was affirmative and he was looking for a partner who could easily adapt to cultural practices. The rest is history, we were like water and oil which could not mix. 

Insight on Burkina Faso

BURKINA FASO

History
Burkina Faso was originally inhabited by the Bobo, Lobi and Gurunsi with the Mossi and Gurma migrating into the region later on. The land of the Mossi became a French protectorate in 1879 and became a separate colony in 1919 called the Upper Volta that was later partitioned among Niger, the Sudan and Cote d'Ivoire. Upper Volta later became independent on August 4th 1984  where they later changed the name to Burkina Faso meaning "the country of honorable people". 

 Back in 1984, Marxist and Burkinabe Military Captain  Thomas Sankara assumed power. He was a charismatic leader  who mobilized the masses to launch a massive development movement. 

Thomas Sankara believed in equality among all people and therefore ensured the equitable distribution of natural as well as man made resources. He believed in the policy of earning what you worked for which was seen as he still earned the salary of a Captain while he was the President of Burkina Faso. 

His children were also treated the same way as any other ordinary Burkinabe children attending public schools with their father, the President, taking them to school on a bicycle!

The measures taken by Thomas Sankara were met with growing resistance and resistance despite his initial popularity. Tension began to surface in the implementation of the revolutionary movement that eventually led to the assassination of Sankara in a coup which brought Blaise Compaore into power.  

 On Christmas day of 1985, Burkina Faso fought in a five-day war with Mali that saw the death of over 100 people in dispute over the mineral rich Agacher strip. The conflict ended after meditation by the then president of Cote d'Ivoire but the Christmas war is largely remembered in Burkina Faso today.

Language 

Burkina Faso is a multilingual country with an estimated 69 languages spoken all over the country. The official language is French which was introduced in the country during the colonial period. French is the principle language of administrative, political and judicial institutions, public service and the press. 

Education for the deaf in Burkina Faso uses American Sign Language though there is also an indigenous urban sign language in Ougadougou. 

Music

  

    The music of Burkina Faso includes folklore music of the over 60 different ethnic groups. Burkinabe traditional music has continued to thrive and musical output remains quite diverse. Popular music is mostly in French: Burkina Faso is yet to produce Pan-African success in terms of music. 

The national anthem of Burkina Faso "Une Seule Nuit" was written by Thomas Sankara .

The national Museum of Music in Ougadougou began collecting musical instruments like the balafon drums seen above in 1998 to preserve the rich history of Burkinabe music. 

The Semaine Nationale de la Culture, held every two years from 1983 is a musical festival that has helped produce popular music stars like Koudbi Koala. 

Popular traditional groups in Burkina Faso balafon bands,kora, percussion ensembles and others who use use elements relevant to Burkinabe music. 

The Kora, similar to the Nyatiti in Kenya is also one popular music instrument common in Burkina Faso. It initially featured seven strings until the Gambian griot Madi Woulendi increased the number twenty-one.

Fashion

 

 Masks occupy an important position in the religious life of Burkina Faso. The use of masks in initiation ceremonies and funerals is quite typical in Burkina Faso. Masks appear at burials to observe on behalf of the ancestors that proper burial procedures are carried out. 

Masks attend to honor the deceased and to verify that the spirit of the deceased has been received well into the spirit world. Without a proper funeral the spirit remains near the home haunting its descendants. 

Festivals

 

Bwaba dancing masks

The Bwa wooden masks represent different characters related to the myths of their families and clans.

The Bwa masks are chromatic white, red and black as predominant colors. 

The days of the dance, everybody sweeps their compounds then put on their best outfits awaiting the ceremony. 

Festima Festival

Great mask festival attended by around 40 villages each of them represented by their own chosen group of masks. 

This festival attracts tourists from as far as the capital Ougadougou. At that point the festival turns into a collective moment of socialization. This event also features story-tellers that are in competition to reveal their own talent.

Dancing masks in March and April where masks invoke the rain

Every year when it comes to the rainy season, villagers in Burkina Faso rely on the masks to get good rains. The masks are entrusted to act as intermediaries able to communicate directly with the gods. 

FESPACO (Festival of the African Cinema)

One of the most important festivities revealing the African cinema. It happens every two years in Ougadougou. This is a good time to travel to Burkina Faso if you are interested in cinematography as you will get the chance to meet other African as well as international movie enthusiasts. 

The festival was created in 1969 and it is celebrated every two years with the 24th edition being in 2015. 

   

The political regime in Haiti

Haiti is the first 'Black' nation of slaves to have successfully revolted against colonial rule and fought their way to their independence. It is therefore important for us, as Kenyans and as Africans who also had to fight for our independence from colonialists, to understand how it happened and relate it to our personal experiences in the past.
People from Haiti, unlike other African nationals, take great pride in their independence that they actually compose songs in praise of their solidarity to their country. It is however interesting to note that the politics of Haiti  have often been defined with conflict when strongmen have taken over the government. Only within the later part of the twentieth century, has normal political activity established.
Haiti has had a series of presidents who have been ousted from office for various reasons including corruption allegations, misappropriation of funds, food shortage among other social reasons.
Parliament seems to have a lot of power bestowed upon them in the Haitian government as in 2008 it voted to dismiss President Preval's Prime Minister following severe rioting over food prices. His selected replacement for the post was rejected by Parliament, throwing the country into a prolonged period without a government. This is a situation unlikely to be seen in other African or European Nations.
Political corruption is a common problem in Haiti.The country has consistently ranked as one of the most corrupt nations according to the Corruption Perceptions Index, a measure of perceived political corruption. In 2006, Haiti was ranked as the most corrupt nation out of the 163 that were surveyed for the Index. In 2012, Haiti was #165 out of #176. The International Red Cross reported that Haiti was 155th out of 159 countries in a similar survey of corrupt countries. Here is a comparison of Kenya to Haiti: http://www.aneki.com/comparison.php?country_1=Kenya&country_2=Haiti 

French has been the major language in Haitian politics since the colonial era. Scholars have since referred to Creole, the other language of Haiti as linguistically inferior. Creole grammar is said to be simplified and lacking sophistication compared to its European ancestors. This original demotion of the language created an subordinate sociopolitical, economic, and biological status for the country's majority that had been relocated by slavery.
Today, Creole is spoken by 90-95% of the country. The remaining are bilingual and speak both French and Creole. Per the 1987 Constitution, both Creole and French are official languages of Haiti. However, French is still the main language taught in schools and used in politics. With only 2-5% speaking the language of the politics, Creole speakers are politically disenfranchised. Haitian Creole and French are mutually unintelligible, so the vast majority of citizens cannot communicate with leaders in the language of their choice.

This disenfranchisement is furthered by the lack of a systematic educational system. Literacy programs failed in the 1980s, and French is still the language being used to instruct students. Haitian linguist, Yves Dejean, recalls warnings posted in the principal's office forbidding the use of Creole. In the 1970s, only one percent of the children who entered kindergarten stayed on track to obtain state certificate at the end of the sixth grade. Even after the literacy programs of the 1980s, 90% of the teachers ten years after the decree were still not able to encompass the Creole language into the education system. The language handicap makes education and furthermore, political enfranchisement almost impossible.

Haitian Politics

In the 18th century, Haiti was controlled by the French and Spain with the latter having a larger share. They specialised in agriculture with the African slaves providing labor. The society was in a rigid hierarchical structure based on skin color, class and wealth.  In ascending order, African born plantation salves, creole slaves( the ones born in the new world), mixed race; the mullato slaves and finally the whites. Later in the eighteenth century changes begun with the slaves abandoning their plantations and Mullato's seeking full citizenship.

In 1971, Tousssaint Louverture emerged as a commander within the rebel army of the black slaves. His top commanders were Jean-jacque Dessalines and Henry Christophe. A struggle which included switching of allies between France and Spain. Dessalines, Christophe and the Mullato general joined forces in order to expel the French in 1802.

( There is a movie that shows his story directed by Philippe Niang  released in 2012. Jimmy- Jean Louis a Haitian actor plays Toussaint's character.) A cover of the movie to the far right.)

In 1803, Haiti was declared an independent republic as France withdrew to the war in Europe. As much as the french refused to acknowledge that fact. 

Dessalines became the first president in 1804 and declared himself emperor Jacquel. He was assassinated and Boyer then took over  and negotiated payment to the french to recognise Haiti's independence and reunite  trade relations with the country.

(A statue of Dessalines in Port-au-Prince in Haiti. )

Then came Francois Duvalier a dictator popularly referred to as 'Papa Doc'. The name was because of his paternalistic concern for poor and sick nations. Francois was succeeded by his son  Sean Claude who went by the nickname ' Baby Doc'. 

Jean Bertrand Astride known to be the first democratically elected president, an outspoken anti -Duvalier at the time won the presidency with a landslide victory vote of sixty seven percent. He pledged to rid Haiti of its ethnic, racial, and economic hierarchy that defined the country. Aristide was ousted by a military coup in September 29 1991. The military government engaged in oppression of Dissidents and Aristide supporters. There were numerous extrajudicial killings. On September 9, 1994; the US led military restored Aristide to office who then abolished the Haitian army and replaced it with the united states trained Haitian National police. 

 An interesting fact about Haiti is its witchcraft history to be specific Voodoo. Here is a link that explains more on it. http://erzulies.com/about-haitian-vodou-haitian-voodoo-history-beliefs/. I found more sites that could help explain what occurs during the voodoo ceremonies. On Voodoo drumming.  http://www.haitianmusic.net/haitian-voodoo-drumming/. One can watch one of the ceremonies  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoCyGrkTOk0.

Haitian women join in a vodoo bathing ritual.