Africa
Female genital mutilation, often referred to as female circumcision, is a very ancient custom which at one time or another has been practiced in many areas of the world. Today, it is most widespread in Africa, although also practiced in parts of Latin America and Asia. After centuries of virtual silence on this subject, campaigns are now being mounted to stop this practice. We are presenting here some views of African women on the subject and information about the campaigns as well as resources.
The first consists of excerpts from an article by Esther Ogunmodede which appeared in the November 1977 issue of Drum, a Nigerian magazine.
All over the world, various people practice circumcision for male children. The main reasons are those of hygiene and religion and when the operation is well performed, the result is pleasing to the eye. But only Africans circumcise girls.
No one to whom I spoke could tell me why, though the easiest and commonest answer is that it is "our custom and tradition," the shield behind which we hide the more hideous and inexplicable of our practices.
But the world now knows the reasons, just as our forbears knew. Our ancestors were no scientists but they knew where and what were the seat of sexual pleasures in a woman - so they chopped it off before the girl could discover.
Girls in Africa are circumcised to decrease their sexual urge before marriage, thereby preventing them being "wayward" and bringing shame on the family. This has been going on for centuries and although attitudes to sex have changed a little, we still practise circumcision for girls to this day.
The other reason is that the narrow opening which results after the wound has healed increases the husband's pleasurable sensations during intercourse, even though to the woman sex is nothing but agony - one reason she does not bother to take a lover.
So to keep the young girl "pure" and the married woman faithful, genital operations are maintained as one of Africa's most valued "traditions".
Since discussions about sex and sexual organs are not proper subject for polite conversation in African society, the adverse effect of genital operations on girls has remained hidden for generations. Women, ignorant and anxious to please their men, have even actively aided and promoted the practice.
Apart from a few groups like the Nupers of Nigeria, who do not circumcise girls, most African societies do it. Indeed in Somalia and other places, the operations are carried out in special hospital units to prevent the tragedies which occur when native surgeons, using unhygienic tools, do the job.
Even educated Africans still feel compelled to comply with the custom, and it is not unusual to find them calling in a Hausa barber, who normally is also a "surgeon", to perform the operation ...
Let me describe the types of operation.
First there is excision or clitoridectomy, the removal of the entire clitoris, together with the adjacent parts of the labia minora and the exterior genitalia except the labia majora. To you and me, this means that the sexually sensitive parts of a girls 's organs are removed. This form of genital operation is practiced all over west, east and southern Africa.
There is infibulation or Pharaonic circumcision, the removal of the whole clitoris, labia minora as well as part of the labia majora. The two sides of the vulva are then closed over the vagina except for a small opening to allow the passage of urine and menstrual flow.
The wound creating by scraping raw the labia majora is held together by sewing with catgut until it is healed after several applications of very hot compression. In some countries of northern Africa, the girl's legs are tied together to enable the wound to heal.
lnfibulation is particularly favoured in these parts because the sex opening has been made so small by the operation that the husband's pleasure is increased during intercourse. You can imagine what hell it is for the girl.
The term "infibulation" is derived from the Latin "fibula", or clasp. A fibula was used by the Roman to fasten the folds of their dress or toga. A fibula put through the prepuce of male slaves was used by the Roman to prevent the slaves having intercourse.
Clasps of different kinds and even padlocks pushed through a woman's labia majora to prevent her having illicit intercourse are recorded in medical history. Chastity belts were used by Europeans peasants up to a few years ago and even now isolated cases still come to light ...
The dangers of circumcision on girls are clear: shock, hemorrhage with often fatal results, infections complicated by tetanus, urinary retention, damage to urethra or anus, gynaecological complications resulting from ill-performed cuts, chronic pelvic infection, calculus formation, infertility caused by damage to vital organs and infections, obstetric complications resulted in delayed labour or inability to deliver a baby normally
Who is responsible for making sure the message reaches every family? You, women's organizations, hospitals, health centres, our ministries of health, our churches and mosques. Let us all mount a campaign against the evil that impairs the health of our women and puts their lives in danger, as well as their babies' lives.
CAMPAIGNS AGAINST FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
There have been some vague statements of concern from different international bodies about the practice of female circumcision, dating back to 1952 when the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations adopted are solution, asking for studies into the practice and measures to be adopted to stop it. This was followed during the next 25 years by a series of rather watery resolutions from different UN bodies, and the publication of many studies. In the last three years, the subject has become the focus of a massive campaign in the West. Launched in earnest by Fran P. Hosken of WIN News, USA, the campaign has attempted to put pressure on international organizations and governments to stop the practice. In Geneva especially - seat of the World Health Organization (WHO) - there has been much stir around the publicity campaign waged by Terre des Hammes, a Swiss charity organization for children, when they organized a press conference with film showings just prior to the WHO World Conference last year (1977).
One major problem with these campaigns, however, is the way in which they have been conducted in the West. Many African women have been amazed to discover that such a campaign even existed. The extracts from Marie-Angelique Savane's letter reproduced below, give an idea of why. Talk of "barbarous" and "uncivilized practices is sensationalist, and alienating to those who are named in that way. Ignoring the socio-political context with which to analyze a specific problem and how to deal with it amount to a new kind of imperialism. African women do not condone this practice. On the contrary, they take it very seriously as the above article shows. But "it is essentially up to the African people and in particular African women to decide to mobilize and fight against certain aspects of their reality ... " (see below). We feel strongly that women in the West must listen to what our African sisters are telling us.
For their part, the international organizations could not ignore the Terre des Hommes campaign. They are moving towards more resolutions and some publicity. There is, however, a special sub-committee on the Status of Women which is now working with its non-governmental organizations' African constituencies and through the UN system trying to stimulate a series of seminars in Africa where female circumcision can be dealt with, and where only African women and men would be present. This seems to be one positive direction .
Marie-Angelique Savane, editor of Famille et Developpement Dakar, Senegal, wrote to ISIS in February 1978 in regard to the campaigns:
I continue to believe that it is essentially up to the African people and in particular African women to decide to mobilize and fight against certain aspects of their reality - those which seem most urgently in need of change, and to decide how that struggle should be waged. I am sure that Africans would never think of organizing around some problem in the West, leading the battle themselves rather than letting those concerned do so. Must colonialism continue even here? The ways in which this campaign is carried out only serve to aggravate the problem and to create a reaction of aggressive self-defense. Is this what Westerners want?
This thing must be looked at from a proper perspective. This "barbarous and savage mutilation ... " is perhaps not experienced as such by those concerned if it occurs within a permissible socio-cultural context. It can be thought of as oppressing women insofar as its main object is to curb sexual pleasure and thus fertility. Yet in this respect, excision has an essential function.
We must put this fight within the total framework of the struggle against the oppression of African women. Only through conscientization and active struggle can women themselves finally get the practice of excision banned. Our major aim must be to make information available and to help educate.
RESOURCES
Fran P. Hosken
WIN NEWS
187 Grant Street
Lexington, Mass.
02173 USA
Fran P. Hosken, editor and publisher of WIN News, a quarterly international women's news journal, has done extensive work on the subject of female genital mutilation. She has assembled a bibliography of studies and articles, plus some fact sheets. In addition each issue of WIN News contains updated information and additional resources and articles.