In the Muslim country of Zanzibar, where women’s activities are severely curtailed, a feisty group of women has defied the cultural constraints by playing a man’s game—soccer—and giving reign to their competitive spirit.

Throughout the film, women talk about the difference soccer has made in their daily lives. Whereas ordinarily they are expected to remain at home, now their horizons have widened, their physical fitness has improved, and their sense of self has grown. One woman is visibly angry at her husband for forbidding her to play. As she performs her domestic chores she bemoans her fate—a star player, she was on her way to becoming famous in her country and beyond until she was forced to resign.

A cleric warns women that playing in shorts and jerseys is tempting to the male spectators who ordinarily only see women covered from neck to ankles. But the soccer players, all of who are devout Muslims, separate their daily existence from their athletic lives. One woman wonders why soccer is banned when other sports, such as volleyball, are permitted. In a culture where clerical disapproval has limited the existence of women’s teams with which to compete, the film chronicles the women as they go head-to-head against teams of men, and against those who attempt to prevent them from pursuing their passions.

African Studies Association, 2008
Middle East Studies Association, 2009