Budding Ghanaian filmmaker and director Kuukua Eshun recently released her new film “Unveiling”, a powerful rape documentary.
“Unveiling”, directed by Kuukua Eshun, is a documentary created due to two women being vulnerable with each other—unveiling their truths allowing each to see herself in the other. Akpene Diata Hoggar and Kuukua Eshun produced this film.
This film was commissioned by the ANO Institute of Arts & Knowledge and was first shown at the Museum Ostwall Im Dortmunder U On December 10th and would be showing till March 6th. This same museum has works of the famous Pablo Picasso and celebrated Ghanaian artist El Anatsui.
This film shows us as part of an exhibition by Ghanaian author and filmmaker Nana Oforiatta Ayim envisioned when she curated “EFIE: The Museum as Home” at the Dortmunder U culture center.
Kuukua met the German Official in charge of Culture and Arts in the Dortmund area at the film’s private screening. She expressed her heartwarming satisfaction to the official and was excited about this opportunity given her by the curator Nana Oforiatta Ayim.
Kuukua Eshun is one of the fast-rising young female directors based in Ghana. Having worked with artists and platforms like; Michaela Coel, Wizkid and Vic Mensa, Huawei, Facebook, Variety Magazine, Lifetime TV, The Economist, etc. Kuukua Eshun has built a legacy of telling stories that express strength and dominance through accessing spaces of feeling, sensitivity and dichotomous human experiences in her work.
Many women who experience sexual violence find it hard to report or come forward about their incidences; exact rape numbers are challenging to report. While many countries have laws against the act of sexual assault and violence, many of them are insufficient, inconsistent, and not systematically enforced.
They must tell stories of violence against women as a form of raising awareness to put a stop to rape, sexual abuse, and assault. This project hits close to home for Kuukua and the women who were part of the film. They share experiences of first-hand sexual assault on different occasions at different times in their lives.
Ultimately, Kuukua hopes to set up organisations and collectives that will consistently create a safe space for survivors of sexual violence to be held a few times a month.
She believes this will encourage more people to share their stories and experiences without fear or doubts of being judged due to the stigma against the survivors.
