Films
Directed by: Vicki Cooper
Year: 2013 | Duration: 60 min
Genre: Documentary
Starring: Felicity Gerry, Leyla Hussein
Country: UK
Language: English
Female genital mutilation is usually abbreviated to FGM, to save on syllables, but also to spare our embarrassment. The phrase refers to a practice so horrible, that even when we're discussing FGM, we'd rather not discuss the reality of what it actually is. Cutting girls' genitalia for non-medical reasons, has been illegal in the UK since 1985, yet not a single successful prosecution has been brought in the past 28 years. Leyla Hussein wanted to know why, so she took her campaign to an impressive array of interested parties, including the former Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Theresa May.
Directed by: D. Channsin Berry, Bill Duke
Year: 2011
Genre: Documentary
Starring: Stephanie A., Soren Baker, Joni Bovill
Country: USA
Language: English
Documentary exploring the deep-seated biases and attitudes about skin color particularly dark skinned women, outside of and within the Black American culture. Dark Girls features interviews with dark-skinned Black women in America, aiming to show "that the deep seated biases and hatreds of racism within and outside of the Black American culture remain bitterly entrenched,” according to a press release.
The film originally premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. “In the late`60s a famous psychological study was done in which a young Black girl was presented with a set of dolls,” he said. “Every time the she was asked to point to the one that wasn’t pretty, not smart, etc., she pointed to the Black doll that looked just like her. In her mind, she was already indoctrinated. To watch her do that was heartbreaking and infuriating. CNN did the test again recently – decades later – with little progress.
As the filmmakers behind ‘Dark Girls,’ our goal is to take that little girl’s finger off that doll.” Dark Girls will examine the everyday lives of darker-skinned women, including their challenges in corporate America, interracial relationships and the “good hair” vs. “bad hair” debate. Berry believes the film is a must. “The skin issue is a discussion we all need to have once and for all … so we can eradicate it.”
Nneka
Bello
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Haiti has nearly vanished front page headlines after the devastating 8.0 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince in 2010.
A massive media-powered spotlight on Haiti that captured world attention has quickly faded, celebrity telethons ended, massive donation drives shut down, politicians turning to a new cause célèbre of choice, while on the ground Haitians continues to struggle to survive in real time, in neighbourhoods and communities across the country largely still picking-up the pieces.
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Artists like celebrated Haitian singer Bélo provided a direct cultural conduit to the ground in Haiti at a time of continued crisis. Recently Bélo performed in T
ampa, FL along side local Caleb Joseph a concert highlighting progressive Haitian music direct from Port-au-Prince and also from the Haitian diaspora in USA