Mr Conteh,

You you want to wait until you have evidence of the dead child to tell your
grandmother that FGM is a harmful practice?  I had an article on the FEMALE
CIRCUMCISSION OR FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION published in the observer
sometime ago I will try t get the original and post it on the L for some of
us to try and understasnd that we are not dealing with semantics but the
cutting of part(s) of the girls body that affectes her later as a woman's.
Th most ecent case I have withness was in December 2000,  when a 25 year
young woman got married and only then that it was realised that the effect
of the act done on her. She was a baby, two weeks old.  This was 25 years
ago and the circumcisor was then proud that it only took three day and the
girl was healed.  She assumed she did female circumscission.

By the way, my grandmother was also amongst the group of ealders in Kombo
South who led other women for the continuity of the practice, but that
doesn't justify that I should not campaign against it when I became more
aware of its consequencies.  She said the same for food taboo and girls
education but those things are no longer taboos as they were ten years ago.

Sorry to bother you with things you may have already known.

Amie.


>From: Lamine Conteh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Female Circumcision
>Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 18:06:39 -0500
>
>Comrades:
>
>Now that Mr. Hernlund has co authored a book on
>female circumcision, I wonder how much he will
>earmark in educating us about any potential
>danger on this sensitive issue.
>
>Being a child of the rural areas, I am skeptical
>of  the net effect of Mr. Hernlund's narratives.
>I am proud to say that no one has died of
>complications as a result of female circumcision
>in my native Kombo East District, despite western
>illusions.  My grandmother who was one of the
>elders of this tradition had always told me to
>not even discuss this topic because it is a
>woman's issue.
>
>I am concern that some women have taken this as
>a crusade for women's rights.  With all due
>respect, we can convince our elders if we
>approach female circumcision from a moderate
>point of view.  The word "FGM" if interpreted in
>any Gambian language will upset many Gambian
>women.  I think "FGM" should be replaced with
>just female circumcision. I want to assure The
>Gambian women that I believe in gender equality.
>I am, however concern about the division this
>might cause in our society.  Please let us use
>our culture to curb female circumcision.
>
>In trying to reach your audience one has to be
>very careful in the choice of words.  Those who
>are advocating a ban on female circumcision
>should try and live with the locals and assimilate
>in the culture before they bombard them with their        western
>ideologies.
>
>I hope the audience is not interpreting my             annunciation has a
>proponent of female circumcision.           In fact, I am oppose to it, but
>I would rather             engage The Gambian women from a lay person's
>point of view than subject them to western illusions.          Our African
>culture should stay intact, but we also
>must change as the world changes around us.                      An elder
>in
>the rural areas or in the cities
>of The Gambia will understand us clearly if we
>approach them in our rich Gambian culture.                       We must
>clearly know that western ideologies                     are not supreme.
>
>With the passage of time the West has tried numerous
>times to set the clock for us.  Some people have
>come with false hope of salvaging us.  It is sad to
>say that this people are only interested in enriching
>themselves.
>
>Naphiyo,
>
>Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh
>
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