A Girl From Mogadishu: An Incredible Journey of Survival

**TRIGGER WARNING: Contains references to Rape and Female Genital Mutilation**

A Girl from Mogadishu, written and directed by Mary McGuckian, is the story of the astonishing survival and odyssey of Ifrah Ahmed, portrayed by the talented Aja Naomi King. It is the story of a victim of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and a young survivor of the Somalian Civil war, who turns into a powerful, international voice and advocate against FGM. It is an illustration of the power of toxic masculinity over women’s bodies and one of the voices of defiance against it.

A Warrior in the Making

The film begins during the 2006 Battle of Mogadishu, where it follows Ifrah as she is fleeing her village and also eluding the arranged marriage she refuses to be in. The bombing separates her from her father and brothers, and while she waits for them to return, she is gang-raped by three soldiers.

She manages to make it back to her Grandmother’s (Maryam Mursal), where she is restored to health. Her uncle (Hussein Abdi) gives her a phone number to a person that will get her out of Mogadishu and to her aunt who lives in the States. He tells Ifrah that her grandmother can no longer afford to keep her and that her husband-to-be won’t want her anymore because she has been raped. Though she is afraid to leave her home and family, Ifrah agrees.

Unbeknownst to her, the men that help many of the refugee women get to “safety” are actually responsible for trafficking them into a life of slavery. The driver of the bus tells her not to go with the men upon arrival of their destination and instead stay with him, as his wife is also from Mogadishu. She stays with the bus driver and his family until her Aunt sends Hassan (Barkhad Abdi) to help her get out of Africa and on a plane to the States.

With a fake passport and Hassan’s help, Ifrah makes it to Dublin, Ireland. There, Hassan tells her that she will not be able to go to the States as her Aunt is living there undocumented, so it will be safer for her to stay in Ireland claiming political asylum.

Ifrah, who has nothing and knows no one in Dublin, relies upon a local refugee organization for assistance. They give her shelter, food and clothing and help her with the legal process of claiming asylum there. Part of that process involves a full medical exam, including a gynecological pap smear. The doctor is horrified to see that Ifrah has been fully “circumcised” and from there, Ifrah learns that what she thought was a “normal” cultural, tradition is actually an unnecessary, traumatizing procedure with a long list of medical consequences.

A Terrifying Procedure

Source: The Politics Forum.com

According to the Office on Women’s Health, Female Genital Mutiliation/Cutting “means piercing, cutting, removing, or sewing closed all or part of a girl's or woman's external genitals for no medical reason.” There are generally three types, as seen in the image above, and Ifrah survived Type 3, which is considered the worst kind.

FGM is considered illegal in the US and in many other countries today, however, it is still being done. The Office on Women’s Health estimates that more than 513,000 women have been affected by FGM in the United States, and a whopping 100-140 million girls have been affected worldwide. Most of these procedures are done in non-sterilized areas like a floor. table or the ground. The cutting is often done by unsterilized glass shards, knives or razors.

The procedure is generally done when girls are very young, without any pain medication, under the guise of “a right of passage”, “hygiene” and to ensure a girl “stays a virgin” for her future husband. FGM is a significantly harmful procedure that inflicts long lasting psychological and physical consequences that can include death.

According to the film, 98% of women in Somalia-where Ifrah is from-have been cut. Ifrah was instrumental in bringing about the official laws passed in Ireland against FGM in 2012. Yet even today the practice is happening there. On November 28 of this year two parents in Ireland were found guilty of performing FGM in 2016 on their daughter, who was under two.

Regardless of where it is happening, it is crucial that information about this process be taught and spread in order to fight the ignorance surrounding FGM. Films such as this one, are an integral part of educating the public and international community about the atrocities these women face.

From Frightened Girl to Fierce Advocate

Ifrah Ahmed. Source: Irish Global Health Network

In 2010 Ifrah Ahmed launched her official organization the Ifrah Foundation. Their vision is the eradication of FGM and cutting in Somalia and worldwide. Their goals consist of “three pillars” of action, including advocacy, awareness raising and community empowerment.
According to the website Ifrah “is one of the world's top international FGM/C eradication advocates and activists. Ifrah has received multiple awards for her work and she campaigns relentlessly for legislation to ban FGM/C around the world. Ifrah is the Gender Adviser to the Government in Somalia.”

According to the film all of this activism came with its own consequences for Ifrah. She has received multiple death threats on social media and was disowned by some of her family members. She was able to return to Somalia and make peace with her grandmother, who was the one that sent her to be cut in the first place.

Her determination to end FGM globally is nothing short of inspiring and her ability to garner the ears of audiences is a triumph.

In All Honesty…

Overall the film is eye-opening and inspirational. McGuckian creates a comprehensive story of Ifrah Ahmed’s struggle, coupled with a strong, dynamic performance by King.

The film does suffer a bit with awkward timing and pace. Though we see a lot of action right at the beginning entrenched in the war, and Ifrah is a strong character to write about, her journey is laid out rather plainly. It is a relatively slow process filled with too much mundanity. I wanted to see more of Ifrah’s internal struggles rather than all of the legal processes that she had to go through.

The film is also filled with a lot of unnecessary voice-over, that could’ve been translated into action or been expressed during interaction with fellow characters. We also don’t get a clear impression of, nor the significance of, many of the supporting cast on her journey. For example, Hassan, who is played by the Oscar nominated Abdi, seemed to come out of nowhere. Why does Ifrah’s Aunt call upon him? Who is he? Why should Ifrah trust him? The way his character is portrayed leaves us thinking that there is a lot more going on than meets the eye, but it is never fleshed out.

Source: Pembridge Pictures

There are many inferred dangers on her escape from Somalia to Ireland, but nothing transpires from any of those either. For example, she had to travel out of Somalia and into Ethiopia to get to her plane, yet why was it still a danger once she got out of Somalia? Were women not allowed to leave Ethiopia at this point? There isn’t a clearly known reason behind the tension portrayed on her trip to Ireland, and the audiences are left to surmise all of the possible pitfalls. Perhaps if we knew what potential pitfalls she faced, it would have been easier to get lost in the story.

Regardless of the few mechanical hiccups, McGuckian and crew are still able to deliver a harrowing and thought-provoking story. The film is a good springboard to learning more about this courageous hero working to make a positive change to a brutal practice steeped in toxic masculinity. It sheds a light on a topic that isn’t spoken about enough. It opens a door to educating and reaching an audience that may not hear about it otherwise.

Aja Naomi King delivers an unforgettable, poignant performance as Ifrah and cinematographer Michael Lavelle paints a stunning portrait of the imagery of Earth’s natural beauty, coupled with the harshness of the lives humans lead within it.

Though the topic of this film is unbearably difficult, McGucklan finesses a delicate balance with just enough detail to convey FGM’s heinousness without scaring off the audience. It is a triumphant story celebrating the strength of women crushed beneath the toxic masculine. It is also a story of the human spirit and a remarkable hero who never set out to be one.

It stands as a testament that through surviving crippling adversity, there truly is great strength and inner power to be gained that nothing can ever take away.

A Girl From Mogadishu has been released in Ireland and the UK and will be released in the US in February 2020. Get updates from their website here.