Ouaga Girls

In Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, a small group of young women are training to become auto mechanics. Friendships blossom in the safety of the classroom, and the students laugh, cut class and share their hopes and fears. They also discover there are some helpful similarities between braiding hair and spray painting cars. Just occasionally the harsh realities of life outside intrude into the classroom. Will traditional husbands let them apply for a job? How will they manage with a baby? But these young women aren’t about to let themselves be boxed in. They know that "a woman can do any job she likes if she decides to." The camera follows them in and out of the classroom right up to their exams and graduation ceremony, with the students’ background stories emerging through conversations with the school psychologist. The girls’ faith in a more stable future is growing, but should they be so confident given the turbulent political atmosphere of Burkina Faso? News reports on the workshop radio make it clear that Africa’s poorest nation is on the cusp of major changes.