ABSTRACT
Jean Pierre Bekolo's third feature film, Les Saignantes, is one of the best-known West African films. 2 Les Saignantes (The bloodletters) reveals Bekolo's scathing political critique of the postcolonial ruling class. But the film does more than critique the failed dreams of decolonization because it also reimagines an empowering image of West African women's sexuality. In so doing, retrieving the Mevoungou, an important precolonial ritual of the powerful female secret society of the Beti of Cameroon the film gives women's rites the power to heal the postcolonial state. The main characters, two young and sexy women, exchange sexual favors with highly influential male state officials for business contracts. However, the corrupt state of the country requires the intervention of the secret society whose power is predicated upon the clitoris. Unbeknownst to the young women, the spirit of the Mevoungou takes possession of their bodies to purify and heal the state. Thus, while executing this social and political mission, the protagonists also go through a ritual of purification and subsequently become empowered women. It is the female characters' assertion of the constructive powers of their sexuality that makes Les Saignantes a compelling film.
