Culled from the Independent newspaper of February 8, 2002.

Gambians in Spain "mad" over FGM documentary Producer accused of non-patriotism

A documentary shown in Spain depicting gory scenes of girls undergoing circumcision rites in The Gambia has stirred up profound anger within the Gambian community in Spain, who have since made angry threats against the producer, calling on her to retract it. The film produced by one Mama Samateh was shown on the Catalan television in northern east Spain, chronicling the transformation of Gambian girls into “womanhood, which has to be earned by passing through the most physically abusing treatment”. Gambians who saw the film said they felt revolted by it and made very clear their embarrassment and disappointment in a Gambian woman who had set aside patriotic fervour to smear her own country’s image for personal benefit.

They also said it was an incredible and irremediable way to tarnish the image of the Gambian community in Spain. Mrs. Samateh the producer of the documentary was accused of disregarding deep-seated traditional norms in The Gambia, which are left discredited in the wake of the film. She was also accused of using the female genital mutilation concept to generate money at the expense of the Gambian people. Although the damage may have been done, angry Gambians in Spain said they would not allow the good image of The Gambia and Gambians to be smeared. Speaking to The Independent a Gambian returning from Spain said under condition of anonymity that showing a documentary on female genital mutilation in The Gambia was not the way to solve the problem.

“It will rather do a serious disservice to the Gambian people in Spain as women’s chastity are exposed” he argued. He pointed out that all Gambians who saw the film were gripped with revulsion, shock and embarrassment. He said in the wake of it he had received a swathe of telephone calls apparently from other exasperated Gambians there who were all united in condemning the producer’s judgement for showing the film. “We must not comprise our honour, dignity and respect for material gains” he posited, suggesting that Mama should make a retraction to redeem herself in the eyes of disappointed Gambians in Spain. The Independent made several futile efforts to gauge the opinion and response of the main anti FGM bodies in The Gambia.

There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see, yet small enough to solve. -Mike- Levitt-