Umoja, the Village Where Men Are Forbidden

Description

In the Samburu district of Kenya, women have only the rights they can seize for themselves. To break free from spousal abuse, forced marriage, genital mutilation, and the spread of HIV/AIDS-and to defend themselves against rape by local British soldiers-a group of abandoned Samburu women founded Umoja, a village off-limits to men. Two decades on, the tiny community is thriving, but in a growing climate of menace as the Samburu men seek any means to destroy Umoja and reestablish the age-old status quo. Filmed on location, this program gives a voice to town matriarch Rebecca Lolosoli and other villagers who communicate their determination to remain free while painting a realistic picture of their uphill battle to establish gender equality in the region-and to simply survive.

Runtime

52 min

Subjects

Geography

Genre

Date of Publication

[2010], c2008

Database

Films on Demand

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