Kate Kendel, an extraordinary filmmaker from Sierra Leone, will be in Vancouver for one evening -- next Tuesday, February 24th.  Renewal is delighted to be hosting Kate at the Tides Renewal Centre, where she will screen her powerful film about female genital mutilation (FGM) called The Secret Pain.

If you are in Vancouver, join us for this film screening. Capacity is 30 people so r.s.v.p. to tara@renewalpartners.com to reserve a space.
 
More about the film, The Secret Pain, in Kate's words:

“A native of Sierra Leone, I was raised by a family of Danish/Norwegian missionaries; I have been living in Europe for many years and am fully integrated into European culture. As a teenager I was kidnapped and circumcised during a visit to my biological family in Sierra Leone. This film is the result of my long struggle to overcome this traumatic and undermining experience which continues to tragically affect several million girls annually throughout Africa.
FGM has devastating consequences for young girls: from bone fractures, as they resist during this forceful operation, to infections of the pelvis leading to infertility, or death from HIV, Hepatitis B, tetanus or other infections, due to the use of unsterilized instruments and lack of hygiene.

My film shows images and interviews in the feared "Women's Secret Society" of Sierra Leone, a West African country where 90% of all females are circumcised. Tradition is extremely difficult to break even among people who have been educated abroad; politicians are not willing to pass laws toward abolishment as this could jeopardize their position; chiefs or district officials issue permits to the powerful midwives.  Circumcision ceremonies represent a day of joy and pride for the parents, family and the neighbours. However, this event is costly for families and it scars and traumatizes young girls for life.


Extreme poverty and lack of means of livelihood are a key reason women continue to perform FGM. My goal is to disseminate information about this brutal practice, from a cultural, religious and social view point, to explore new ways of eradicating FGM through education and awareness, to raise money through this film and through lectures, to support a movement worldwide to eliminate FGM, and to find alternative opportunities for circumcisers to support themselves financially. I have created an organization called "Project Mountain Top for Women's Progress" for these purposes.

I hope my film The Secret Pain will help the millions of African women and immigrants to the industrialized world that have undergone this most brutal ritual and serve as a powerful tool towards the elimination of FMG for the next generation.”