The Shop

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By Idrissa Ouédraogo, Burkina Faso, based on an original idea by Olga Ouédraogo, aged 20, from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Adama wants to make love to Kady. She insists on a condom so he goes to the shop to buy some. But he hadn't realised how embarrassed he would feel buying condoms in front of other people…

• length: 2 minutes 21 seconds
• date: 1997
• shot in: Burkina Faso
• currently available in: Afrikaans, American Sign Language, Dioula, English, Fon, French, Hausa, Herero, Igbo, Italian (subtitles), Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, Lingala, Lozi, Malgache (subtitles), Mina, Mooré, Nama/Damara, Oshiwambo, Portuguese, Pulaar, Rukwangali, Twi, Wolof, and Yoruba

Please click here to view and download photos from the shoot of the film The Shop.

“The women who participate in our seminars are amazed by the assertiveness of Kady, whose voice is so powerful that she is able to send Adama away to buy condoms [The Shop], and of Nancy, whose determination to abstain from sex is so firm that clothes and jewelry cannot buy it away [A Ring on her Finger]. Kady and Nancy inspire our women to contemplate what they want out of relationships. The men in our groups also appreciate these strong women: as Tomás recently noted, ‘I want a woman like that, because then I’ll know that when she says yes, she really WANTS to be with me.’” Rebecca Vander Meulen of Conhicemento é Poder, Lichinga, Mozambique

Topics for discussion
(See also complete Users' Guide)

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Key topics for discussion:

• Buying condoms and sheer embarrassment

• Negotiating condom use

• Planning in advance: having condoms ready when you need them

• HIV and polygamy
  

Discussion topic 1:
Buying condoms and sheer embarrassment

IN THE FILM: Can you relate to Adama's embarrassment in the shop? What is it that helps Adama to finally overcome his embarrassment and to buy condoms?

IN REAL LIFE: If certain people are too shy to go buy condoms themselves, what can they do to make sure that they have condoms on hand when they need them?

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Discussion topic 2:
Negotiating condom use

IN THE FILM: What is Adama's reaction when Kady tells him to go get condoms? Does his reaction surprise you?

IN REAL LIFE: In our society, what kind of challenges might a woman face if she insists on using a condom with her partner? What kind of arguments could she present to support her case?

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Discussion topic 3:
Planning in advance: having condoms ready when you need them

IN THE FILM: What lessons do you think Adama might learn from this episode?

IN REAL LIFE: Do you know where to find condoms in your area? If you were to buy condoms, where exactly would you keep them before using them?

(Ideally, the facilitator will already have identified local places where quality condoms can be found. It would be extra helpful if he or she could also tell people exactly how much condoms cost at each of those places.)

How should you store condoms before you use them?

• Condoms should be stored in a place where they are safe from direct sunlight, heat and humidity. The best place is a cool, dry one.
• It is not a good idea to keep condoms in the pocket of your trousers or in a storage compartment in a car. Heat quickly damages rubber.
• Make sure that you don't put anything heavy on top of condoms.
  

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Discussion topic 4:
HIV and polygamy

IN THE FILM: What do you suppose motivated the elderly man to buy condoms for his fourth wife?

IN REAL LIFE: What might happen if HIV were to make its way into a polygamous relationship -- or into any situation in which a person has multiple partners simultaneously?

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