'What they don’t want is pity' —varsharamdihol on A Piece of Me, sarathecamel's amazing movie about female genital mutilation survivors
We’ve seen it before. A young African woman sits outside her home and stares desolately into the camera. Silent. Unmoving. Mournful music plays as a celebrity voice-over narrates the woman’s horrific tale of female genital mutilation . International aid organization videos have a history of problematic portrayals, highlighting despair and tragedy, positioning the subjects of these films as defined by their trauma. They attempt to yank on the heartstrings of viewers to garner donations.
The message, of course, is still to draw awareness to the harmful epidemic of FGM, a practice where parts or all of the outer female genitalia is removed by cutting off the flesh. The extremely dangerous and painful procedure is now more commonly understood as a cultural tradition rather than a religious custom, according to Elgamal. Girls “are cut” as early as infants, and well into adulthood.
From long, transparent wraps of silk dancing in the wind, to personalized accents of beaded jewellery, the wardrobe was meant to be more than just a fashion statement. The colourful clothing is an extension of the messages of Zahra, Abida and Khadija, in which their words shine the brightest. Being a survivor doesn’t just mean reliving your trauma, it can also mean promoting resilience as beautiful. “My flesh may have been taken away,” says Abida in the film.“But I can never give away my heart.
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