 Employing film to further emancipation, these films took part of a more general effort by film-makers of this period to assert independence and reclaim national identities from colonial rule.This close association with the struggle for independence meant a certain marginalization of the cause of women and the challenges specific to their struggle.Female health has been a theme in films such as Ousmane Sembene’s "Moolaade", which focuses on the topic of female genital mutilation, which is a common coming of age ritual in many parts of Africa.