AFRICA IS A COUNTRY | November 8th, 2012
In early October this year, PBS released the documentary ‘Half the Sky’, based on the book by frequent AIAC target and New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof
and his wife Sheryl WuDunn (a former Times journalist) focusing on the
lot of girls and women in the Global South. As part of Kristof’s mission
to replace their oppression by opportunity, he visits a number of
sites. The action usually revolves around Kristof accompanied by a
famous American actress. The first stop had to be in Africa, of course.
Kristof visits Sierra Leone where he, along
with actress Eva Mendes, takes on the case of a 14-year old girl
Fulamatu, who has been raped repeatedly by a next door neighbor, passing
as a “pastor.” Kristof and Mendes visit the shelter where the girl was
taken by her mother. Over the next few minutes, Kristof proceeds to do
his own police work, and takes it upon himself to arrest the rapist. He
also counsels the young girl. By the end of the segment however, it is
unclear whether the rapist will stay in prison and pay for the crime and
whether Fulamatu will be safe (her father throws Fulamatu and her
mother out of the house because of the “shame” and attention they bring
to the family). The whole ends with an odd scene, with Mendes — who
looks as she does not want to be there — saying goodbye to Fulamatu,
offering her a necklace and hugging her: “You are so beautiful, brave
and strong.” Kristof then moves on to Thailand and Mendes goes back to
the US.
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