A condemnation of the African practice of female circumcision, Moolaade is rudimentary in terms of narrative and structure, yet it has a folkloric power. Ousmane Sembene
– who made this film in his native Senegal at the age of 81 – gives the heavy topic a disarmingly light tone as he follows four girls who flee their “purification” ceremony into the home of a sympathetic villager (Fatoumata Coulibaly).
