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Female Genital Mutilation(FGM) Documentaries

FGM Videos Available in our archives for members only.

Producer	Country	Purpose	Duration Of All Films (minutes)	Date Recorded	FGM Type (i-iv)	Rating	Restrictions
Alfredo&Angelo Castiglioni	Sudan Congo(DRC) Ethiopia Niger Chad Benin	Anthropology	420	1958-1986	Type i Type ii Type iii Type iv	Extremely Graphic	Public Educational Banned
Jean Rouch	Niger Mali Ivory Coast Ghana Burkina Faso Togo Benin Senegal Nigeria	Ethnography	375	1952-1995	Type i Type ii Type iii Type iv	Extremely Graphic	Public  Educational Banned
AIDOS	Kenya	Advocacy	40	2019	Type i	Mildly Graphic	Public
Heike Behrend	Kenya Uganda Tanzania Sudan DRC	Visual Ethnography	630	1982-2001	Type i Type ii Type iii	Extremely Graphic	Educational Banned
Audrey Richards	Zambia Uganda Tanzania South Africa	Anthropology	470	1936-1969	Type i Type ii Type iii	Extremely Graphic	Educational Banned
Safi Faye	Senegal Mali	Advocacy	80	1975-2004	Type i Type ii	Moderately Graphic	Public
David & Judith MacDougall	Kenya Uganda	Visual Anthropology	70	1962-1984	Type i Type ii	Moderately Graphic	Public
Melissa Llewelyn-Davies	Kenya Tanzania	Anthropology Ethnography	250	1970-1996	Type iii	Extremely Graphic	Educational Banned
Jean-Marie Teno	Cameroon Namibia Tanzania Togo South Africa Burkina Faso	Advocacy Journalism	160	1994-2008	Type i Type ii	Mildly Graphic	Public
Florence Ayisi	Cameroon Tanzania(Zanzibar)	Journalism Advocacy	90	2006-2015	Type i Type ii	Mildly Graphic	Public
Kim Longinotto	Kenya Cameroon South Africa	Journalism Advocacy	110	1981-2009	Type i Type ii Type iii	Mildly Graphic	Public
Monica Hunter Wilson	South Africa Tanzania Zambia	Anthropology Ethnography	135	1933-1978	Type i Type ii Type iii Type iv	Extremely Graphic	Educational Private
Anonymous Sources	Somalia Guinea Djibouti Mali Sudan Gambia Burkina Faso Mauritania Nigeria	Whistle blowing Sensationalism	1250	2010-2025	Type i Type ii Type iii Type iv	Extremely Graphic	Public Private

 

Breaking the Silence

Synopsis:

In The Gambia, where tradition and culture hold deep roots, Halima TC, a young journalist and student, embarks on a courageous mission to end female genital mutilation (FGM) within a generation. As a survivor of the practice, she refuses to remain silent, using her voice to challenge an age-old custom that has harmed countless women, including her sister, friends, and many others in her community.

Kusasa Fumbi (Sexual Cleansing) Documentaries

In the remote southern regions of Malawi, a deeply entrenched cultural practice known as kusasa fumbi—or “brushing off the dust”—continues to endanger the lives of young girls. This ritual, which involves parents paying sex workers to sleep with their daughters once they reach puberty, is justified by village elders as a tradition marking the passage to womanhood. However, the consequences are devastating, exposing girls to sexual violence, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and lifelong trauma.  

Pita-Kufa (Sexual Cleansing)

The pita-kufa ritual, a sexual cleansing practice, is a deeply rooted tradition in some parts of Mozambique. Typically performed after significant life events such as the death of a spouse, the ritual involves a widow or widower engaging in sexual intercourse with a designated person, often called a "cleanser," to "purify" themselves and avoid misfortune. This tradition stems from beliefs in ancestral spirits and the need to ward off bad luck, preserve societal harmony, and respect cultural norms.
While the ritual holds cultural significance for those who practice it, its continuation raises significant concerns regarding social, economic, and health implications. Below is an exploration of these key aspects.

Kusalazya (Sexual Cleansing)

Kusalazya, also known as kupyanika in the Chibemba language, is a traditional sexual cleansing ritual practiced in certain communities in Zambia, notably among the Tonga and Bemba peoples. This ritual, deeply rooted in cultural norms and beliefs, involves widows, widowers, and individuals who have experienced significant life transitions, such as puberty or the death of a spouse, engaging in sexual acts as part of a prescribed cleansing process. While the practice is regarded as a vital cultural tradition by some communities, it carries complex cultural, economic, and health implications that warrant critical examination.

Kusasa Fumbi (Sexual Cleansing)

Kusasa Fumbi is a term related to a controversial and harmful cultural practice in some parts of Malawi. It involves the initiation of girls into adulthood, often after reaching puberty, and is typically associated with ritual sexual activity or "cleansing" ceremonies. These practices, sometimes referred to as "sexual cleansing" or "ritual sex", are believed by some to rid the girl of evil spirits or to prepare her for marriage.
In some rural areas, it is viewed as an important cultural tradition, but it has sparked significant criticism due to its harmful impact on young girls' physical and mental health, as well as its links to child sexual abuse and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.