Director: Kim Longinotto
Country: U.K.
Year: 2002
Length: 92
The film explores the practice of female circumcision within different Kenyan and Somali communities. The practice is part of female initiation ceremonies and varies from relatively minor surgery to the complete removal of the clitoris, and the sewing up of the vagina. To Western culture this is mutilation. For the locals, it is an ancient tradition that should by no means be abandoned. The world, however, is changing and new generations begin to question tradition and rebel against circumcision. Meanwhile, the older women in the community praise circumcision as a way to purity and health. A female doctor attempts to achieve a compromise and open people's minds to accepting safer and less painful medical procedures. The film follows the stories of young girls who are caught between loyalty to their parents, the desire to rebel against old customs, and the fear that in doing so they will be rejected by their community. An extreme situation is that of a young girl who takes her own parents to court to stop them from having her circumcised. This event has historic implications for the entire cultural group. The confrontation between tradition and change is not yet over.