Rape of the Samburu Women (The)

  • Rape of the Samburu Women (The)
Genre : Drama
Type : Documentary
Original title :
Principal country concerned : Column : Cinema/tv
Year of production : 2011
Format : Short
Running time : 13 (in minutes)
http://films.culturesofresistance.org/caipirinha

[Vimeo-]The rape of the samburu Women from Collection Millenium on Vimeo.



When Kenya was still a British colony the women in this area faced an epidemic of rape, and even though these rapes were officially claimed the Royal Military Police cleared all soldiers from wrongdoing.

For more than fifty years, England has maintained military training facilities in the Samburu region of its former colony, Kenya. During this period, women in the area have faced an epidemic of rape. Women from the Samburu, Massai, Rendile and Turkana indigenous communities have filed more than 600 official rape claims against British soldiers. Yet, despite documentation of their claims, a three-year internal investigation by the Royal Military Police (RMP) cleared all soldiers of wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the victims have been shamed and outcast in their communities, many to the point of exile. In the mid-1990s, Beatrice Chili responded to this situation by establishing the village of Senchen, a self-sufficient community run entirely by women. There, women build homes, weave textiles, gather and grow food, and raise children. This short film visits the brave women of Senchen, who speak candidly about their suffering and talk passionately about their demands for justice. Watch the film to hear their stories and to find out how you can offer your support.

A film by Iara Lee

2011, Kenya / USA, Doc, 13Min

Production Company: Caipirinha Productions
Production Year: 2011

Director: Iara Lee
Cinematography: Axel Bauman
Producer: Iara Lee
Running Time: 13min
Country: Kenya, USA
Language: English, Swahili

Partners

  • Arterial network
  • Media, Sports and Entertainment Group (MSE)
  • Gens de la Caraïbe
  • Groupe 30 Afrique
  • Alliance Française VANUATU
  • PACIFIC ARTS ALLIANCE
  • FURTHER ARTS
  • Zimbabwe : Culture Fund Of Zimbabwe Trust
  • RDC : Groupe TACCEMS
  • Rwanda : Positive Production
  • Togo : Kadam Kadam
  • Niger : ONG Culture Art Humanité
  • Collectif 2004 Images
  • Africultures Burkina-Faso
  • Bénincultures / Editions Plurielles
  • Africiné
  • Afrilivres

With the support of