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In 1993, writer Alice Walker and producer Pratibha Parmar promoted the
release of "Warrior Marks", a documentary film on Female Genital
Mutilation based on the successful book the two had already published
under the same title. Shown in seven American cities, it was held on
November 4th in Washington D.C. at the Cramton Auditorium of Howard
University. Tickets were priced at $10.00 (advance), $ 15.00 (at the
door) and $ 8.00 for students. The hall's 1,500 seats sold out in a
matter of hours.
The film was followed by a panel discussion with Alice Walker, Film
Director Parmar, National Organization for Women President Patricia
Ireland and leading international experts on FGM: FORWARD International's
Efua Dorkenoo, international human rights attorney Linda Weil-Curiel
and Dr. Asha Mohamud, former Somali Health official. Dorkenoo and
Weil-Curiel had come from England and France respectively for the
occasion. The evening was a resounding success. Proceeds were to be
divided between NOW, FORWARD and The Inter-African Committee, the
anti-mutilation pioneer organization headquartered in Switzerland.
Since then , rumors that NOW never remitted the promised proceeds to
FORWARD and the IAC have been persistently circulating. To set the
record straight, it is important to note that the NOW International
Department in charge of organizing the event on behalf of the group had
no individual budget and that disbursement of funds was outside of its
area of responsibilities. Lingering questions with regards to payments
should therefore be addressed to the principals directly involved:
FORWARD International, The Inter-African Committee and Patricia Ireland. |
