Analysis of females in Timbuktu

Timbuktu's representation of females can be perceived in different ways. The film directed by Abderrahmane Sissako in 2014 deals with social issues in middle-eastern countries. The movie can be seen as in support for women as it is arguably raising awareness about the in-just that we see in the movie. That is definitely the consensus view.
There are some very strong leading female characters in the movie. Kidane's daughter, Toya, is one of the most important characters in the movie. Women do not have many rights in Mali, but as a child she is probably exempt to these. She talks to the boy that she is not supposed to talk to, she shows no fear, and she is an icon for freedom. This is shown in the last scene as she runs away into the unknown. Out of all of the intimidating characters in the movie, it is still the little girl who runs away from it all and arguably wins at the end.
Also, the crazy lady who is in a few scenes is a strong representation of women. She is very brave and independent. Throughout the course of the movie, she is rebellious and is one of the only characters who actually show any sign of resistance to the law. It is arguable that she wasn't arrested as they just presumed that she wasn't the same as the other women and was insane. It is also plausible to argue that they simply would not know how to handle the situation if they were to arrest her. 
Since the film is described as 'like a documentary', the way that women are shown in general throughout the film is more of an awareness-raising piece of propaganda. The director obviously feels strongly about this issue and produced this to show that.

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