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Leaving Africa
Original Title
Hyvästi Afrikka- Director: Iiris Härmä
- Writer: Iiris Härmä
- Producer: Visa Koiso-Kanttila
CGiii Comment
Two disparate ladies, one common goal...and, an enviable friendship.
A country crippled by corruption, polluted with penury, swaddled in sexism and ruined by religion.
Homophobia is everywhere - meted out liberally by politicians, evangelicals...citizens. That's Uganda...
Riitta and Kata work in sexual health and gender equality education - they are - anonymously - accused of having unnatural relations and for promoting homosexuality.
This is their story...as Riitta prepares to leave Africa after 27 years...fighting all the way.
When a filmmaker is gifted with such wondrous subjects little can go wrong - that is unless the filmmaker is a total buffoon...thankfully, Iiris Härmä is no buffoon...very far from it.
It plays out like a compelling drama...and when Riitta lets her guard down, the emotion is truly overwhelming.
It's sad. It's joyful. It's frustrating....it's Uganda.
A fine document...of two fine and feisty ladies.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Finnish Riitta, 66 and Kata from Uganda, 63 are closest of friends and together they are running sexual health and gender equality education in Uganda. Riitta has been in Uganda for 27 years. She has already passed the retirement age but returning to Finland feels daunting as her whole life is in Uganda. Suddenly Riitta and Kata find themselves trapped in chain of difficult events caused by anonymous allegation letter, addressed to Ugandan Parliament. Letter is accusing them for organizing workshops that are promoting and recruiting children to homosexuality.