Koromousso, Big Sister
Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2023
May 31 - June 11, 2023
Canada-based co-directors Habibata Ouarme and Jim Donovan capture personal stories and deep moments of support in a small community of women from West Africa, who are confronting social norms and embracing the inherent power in pleasure and love for their own bodies.
Q&A with Habibata Ouarme, Jim Donovan, and Mariama Diallo, Director of SFF’s African Initiative, Sanctuary for Families, on June 5
With candor, humor, and courage, a group of African-Canadian women challenge cultural taboos surrounding female sexuality and fight to take back ownership of their bodies. Working with co-director Jim Donovan, and combining her own journey with personal accounts from some of her friends, co-director Habibata Ouarme explores the lifelong effects of female genital mutilation and the road to individual and collective healing, both in Africa and in Canada. These women begin a journey of personal discovery, with discussions on the importance of female pleasure and the complexity of the female anatomy, while working to shed long-held feelings of shame and loneliness. While finding strength and joy in their own frank and intimate conversations together, Habibata and her friends continue to advocate for wider access to restorative surgery and community conversations in Canada and worldwide.
This film brings more than an education on a harmful traditional practice that’s still practiced in parts of West Africa—it captures the stories of solidarity among these irrepressible, strong African women.” —Mausi Segun, director, Africa Division, Human Rights Watch
This film is captioned and audio-described; the discussion panel following the film will be live-captioned.
Koromousso, Big Sister also screens digitally nationwide between June 5 – 11 on HRWFF’s digital streaming platform. Watch here.
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