Mama Colonel

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Mama Colonel
French Maman Colonelle
Directed by Dieudo Hamadi
Written byDieudo Hamadi
Produced byChristian Lelong
Kiripi Katembo Siku
StarringHonorine Munyole
CinematographyDieudo Hamadi
Edited byAnne Renardet
Production
companies
Cinédoc Films
IDFA Bertha Fund
Mutotu Productions
Release date
Running time
72 minutes
CountriesDemocratic Republic of the Congo
France
Netherlands
United States
LanguagesLingala
Swahili

Mama Colonel (French : Maman Colonelle) is a documentary film from Democratic Republic of the Congo, directed by Dieudo Hamadi. [1] The film focuses on the work of Colonel Honorine Munyole who, fights against sexual abuse and child abuse. [2]

Contents

In the film Colonel Honorine Munyole who first works in the Bukavu police force in the Child protection and Anti-Sexual Violence unit, which is widely known for its good reputation. She is then transferred to Kisangani, where a few days upon her arrival, multiple victims of Sexual Violence paid her a visit. These victims where the result of the 6-day war (Six-day War) between Rwandan and Ugandan troops. She is determined to help the victims achieve justice they deserve.

Synopsis

Colonel Honorine Munyole is a widow and mother of seven children, gets transferred from Bukavu to Kisangani. She is in charge, head of the special unit for protection of women and children. She has challenges communicating with some of the officers in her unit do not speak the local language Swahili they only speak only Lingala. She is yet to gain trust and confidence of the citizens to open up about the problems they face every day. [3] Eventually widows and rape victims of almost 20 years war, feel there is someone to listen to them and rely on. Its hard to obtain justice for these Victims. The police unit is not capable to help these victims financially, thus they depend on donations from the community to help widows, rape victims, and children. Colonel Honorine Munyole uses public spaces, such as the market place to encourage the citizens to build solidarity among themselves, she teaches them about their rights in relations to sexual violence and the responsibilities parents have over their children. She is also seen providing food and shelter to some widows and orphans. [4]

Production

The documentary is produced by Dieudo Hamadi. Language used is Lingala, Swahili and French, it has English Subtitles. [5]

Related Research Articles

Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence that includes child sexual abuse, groping, rape, drug facilitated sexual assault, and the torture of the person in a sexual manner.

Some victims of rape or other sexual violence incidents are male. It is estimated that approximately one in six men experienced sexual abuse during childhood. Historically, rape was thought to be, and defined as, a crime committed solely against females. This belief is still held in some parts of the world, but rape of males is now commonly criminalized and has been subject to more discussion than in the past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukavu</span> Provincial capital and city in South Kivu, DR Congo

Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), lying at the extreme south-western edge of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda, and separated from it by the outlet of the Ruzizi River. It is the capital of the South Kivu Province and as of 2012 it had an estimated population of 806,940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violence against women</span> Violent acts committed primarily against women and girls

Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), is violent acts primarily or exclusively committed by men or boys against women or girls. Such violence is often considered a form of hate crime, committed against women or girls specifically because they are female, and can take many forms.

Statistics on rape and other acts of sexual assault are commonly available in industrialized countries, and have become better documented throughout the world. Inconsistent definitions of rape, different rates of reporting, recording, prosecution and conviction for rape can create controversial statistical disparities, and lead to accusations that many rape statistics are unreliable or misleading.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rape</span> Type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse without consent

Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disability, or is below the legal age of consent. The term rape is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault.

Rape in the Philippines is considered a criminal offense. In Philippine jurisprudence, it is a heinous crime punishable by reclusión perpetua when committed against women. Rape of males is also legally recognized as rape by sexual assault, which is penalized by imprisonment of six to twelve years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rape during the Bosnian War</span> Use of rape as a military strategy during the Bosnian War

Rape during the Bosnian War was a policy of mass systemic violence targeted against women. While men from all ethnic groups committed rape, the vast majority of rapes were perpetrated by Bosnian Serb forces of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) and Serb paramilitary units, who used rape as an instrument of terror and key tactics as part of their programme of ethnic cleansing. Estimates of the number of women raped during the war range between 10,000 and 50,000. Accurate numbers are difficult to establish and it is believed that the number of unreported cases is much higher than reported ones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walikale Territory</span> Territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Walikale Territory is a territory located within the Congolese province of North Kivu, in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The headquarters are in the town of Walikale. The locality is situated between Bukavu and Lubutu on DR Congo National Road No. 3 in the valley of the river Lowa, 135 km to the west of Goma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual violence in South Africa</span>

The rate of sexual violence in South Africa is among the highest recorded in the world. Police statistics of reported rapes as a per capita figure has been dropping in recent years, although the reasons for the drop has not been analysed and it is not known how many rapes go unreported. More women are attacked than men, and children have also been targeted, partly owing to a myth that having sex with a virgin will cure a man of HIV/AIDS. Rape victims are at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS owing to the high prevalence of the disease in South Africa. "Corrective rape" is also perpetrated against LGBT men and women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six-Day War (2000)</span> Conflict between Ugandan and Rwandan forces in Kisangani, DR Congo during the Second Congo War

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Elizabeth A. Kelly CBE is a British professor and director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU), London Metropolitan University, former head of the, now defunct, Women's National Commission, and co-chair, along with Marai Larasi, of the End Violence Against Women Coalition.

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References

  1. "Mama Colonel'(Maman Colonelle):Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . 17 February 2017.
  2. "Maman Colenelle(Mama Colenel)".
  3. "In the film"Maman Colonele" A police Woman takes on ghost of the past". 26 April 2024.
  4. "In the film"Maman Colonele" A police Woman takes on ghost of the past". 26 April 2024.
  5. "Mama Colonel (Dieudo Hamadi in person.)".