I escaped rape 4 times before 18yrs – Leila Djansi

Renowned movie producer, Leila Djansi, has shared her #MeToo story, disclosing that she escaped rape four times before she turned 18.

She, however, will not mention the names of persons who attempted forcibly have sex with her.

 Her comment follows scalding revelations by a Canada-based lawyer, Kuukuwa Andam that the current Ghana Bar Association President has allegedly raped her in 2012.

Mr Forson, a respected legal practitioner and lecturer, has denied the allegations.

Leila Djansi posted on her Facebook page:

“Yep. Escaped rape 4 times before I turned 18 in Ghana. Are Ghanaian men are rapists or do they not understand sex, love and relationships?”

She added: “In a society where a woman is deemed property, it’s not surprising they believe they can take anyone they want. Widowhood rites, dipo rites, witches camps, female genital mutilation, trokosi….a violation of the life and body of women in the name of religion or culture has plagued the society for generations! Bottom line, African men have no respect for women! But a woman must be married or she’s not complete, so we have a bunch of ignorant women who give agency to the male exploitation agenda.”

The #MeToo movement began to spread virally in October 2017 as a hashtag on social media in an attempt to demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace.

Djansi’s first film was awarded a 2009 WorldFest Platinum Award for the film Grass Between My Lips, a story of female circumcision and early marriage, set in a northern Ghana village.

In 2016, Leila Djansi directed Like Cotton Twines an exploration of the practice of Trokosi in her native country of Ghana. The film was nominated for “Best World Fiction Film” at the Los Angeles Film Festival

Djansi’s work and contribution to the Ghana film industry have been recognised by UNiFEM Ghana, The African Women Development Fund, The Ghana Musicians Association and other social issue minded communities.

 

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