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Should EastEnders' tackle FGM.
Beale_Fowler
Posts: 109 Forum Member
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I said earlier than EastEnders should have more Somalian and Bangledeshi characters to reflect the real East End when it was asked whether the show was too white.. it is. However, soap operas are a great way of bringing controversial issues into the public limelight and EastEnders is great at that. How about a Somalian family coming into the show, through a new love interest for Shabnam, and one of the daughters being a sufferer of FGM or something. Or maybe the Somalian big sister, who has had FGM, tries to stop the Mum doing it to the little sister. I think FGM is an issue that EastEnders would be brave to tackle.
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That being said I would never discourage EastEnders from taking risks, it's often what makes it stand out from the other soaps.
I'm sure it would resonate with many of the female viewers when they find out what actually happens. I first heard about it back in the 80's and I was shocked to the core. Can't believe it's taken to this year before someone (a doctor I think) is being prosecuted for it.
But that's the biggest problem. How on earth would they convey what was happened without getting graphic? They covered it on a recent Law and Order UK but, like you say, that's after the watershed.
EE would never have the balls to do that!
Exactly and it is topical also as I'm pretty sure legislation has recently been used. I think it's a great idea and could actually happen as the current PTB are saying the want EE to be more modern and relevant.
instead of everyone been able to afford to eat in the cafe every day and goto the pub every night (in an era where pubs are closing down).
How you even approach the dialogue surrounding it would be a challenge .
In fact it's a daft idea
No one is going to want to sit down and watch 30 minutes of EE dedicated to female genital mutilation, it's not a relateable topic to 99.9% of people living in the UK. And I say that as someone who comes from that part of the world.
It will never happen so there's no point even suggesting it.
I'm not sure the OP wanted a 30 minute episode devoted to FGM, just a story line about it amongst other story lines. I think it could work as I said earlier it's topical and the current PTB are saying the want EE to be more modern and relevant.
They manage to convey sex, sexually transmitted disease, rape and assault so I don't see why they couldn't convey this.
Eastenders went as far afield as on location to Oxford in yesterday's episode.
Very unusual - but good though.
I don't know, Snowden and Assange have made it topical. But I agree that it's not everyday.
I do think PTSD for army personnel is very common though and maybe even more prevalent than FGM in this country. The complicity to torture has also become topical following the Gibson report, but they could just do the PTSD without the torture bit.
You mean like Corrie does? Do real streets like that have factories on the opposite side? I mean people who work in factories are hardly going to pop across the street & there's one right there.
I agree with you about the episodes outside the square, I think soap all soaps should do it. I mean only so many things can happen in one Street, one Village or one Square.
The BBC just would not dare touch on such a brutal subject with a barge-pole in a pre-watershed soap.
They may well have in the 80's and early 90's (if this terrible situation was known then), but not now.