A village where men are banned and women run everything—your patriarchy just filed for divorce.
380 kilometers from Nairobi, in the Samburu territory, lies a unique village: Umoja. Defended by a thorn fence, access is strictly forbidden to men. Created in 1991, it offers refuge to women repudiated by their husbands or victims of domestic violence. A nerve center for the community, its school is open to children from other villages, provided their families undertake not to subject them to genital mutilation or early marriage. As the new school year approaches, Jane, co-founder of the community, and Rose, teacher, meet little Samella's parents.
Direction
Hutt's patient camera lets power dynamics unfold without exploitation.
Writing
Negotiation scenes with Samella's parents are documentary storytelling at its finest.
Director
Sina Hutt
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Umoja's 1991 founding makes it one of Africa's longest-running women-only settlements, predating Kenya's 2010 constitutional ban on FGM. The village's economic model—beaded jewelry sold to tourists—funds both survival and resistance.
Director Sina Hutt spent months earning trust before filming, explaining why subjects meet her lens with unusual directness rather than performance. The thorn fence appears in nearly every exterior shot—Hutt treats it as character, not metaphor.
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