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electric
United Kingdom
28 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Jun 2007 : 19:38:55
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| Infact to generalise that it is an African thing and therefore all Africans practise it is completely wrong. It is mainly a Mandinka thing if I am right... |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jun 2007 : 19:45:34
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| Not all africans practise it. In Senegal it is done much less often. But it is not just a Mandinka thing. |
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anna
Netherlands
730 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jun 2007 : 19:46:19
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| Maybe you are wrong. This tradition also exists in Somalia and Sudan, for instance. I don't think Christian Africans will practice it, though. |
When an old African dies, it is as if a whole library has burnt down.
Amadou Hampate Ba (Mali) |
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gambiabev
United Kingdom
3091 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jun 2007 : 21:03:45
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My understanding is it is an African thing rather than an Islamic thing. I get confused when Imans dont speak out against it.
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jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2007 : 10:26:18
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| not many christian africans practice it, definately not with the tribes i meet, it is not in the bible. it is a tribal ceremony. |
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electric
United Kingdom
28 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2007 : 17:32:23
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Well, ofcourse it is not just a Mandinka thing but in The Gambia the majority that practices FC (Female circumcision) are Mandinkas unfortunately but it is...
Bev, look at todays Daily Observer, the Imam, Mr Phatty, I think he is the State House Imam, not sure. |
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sab
United Kingdom
912 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2007 : 18:49:17
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A reminder...& for new members
http://www.unfpa.org/gender/practices2.htm#2
http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/fgm-prov-g.htm
The practice is common in parts of Africa, Asia and in some Arab Countries. It is practiced among communities in : Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire , Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda.
FGM/FGC is also practiced among certain ethnic groups in a number of Asian countries (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan); among some groups in the Arabian Peninsula (in Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen); and among certain immigrant communities in Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States.
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The world would be a poorer place if it was peopled by children whose parents risked nothing in the cause of social justice, for fear of personal loss. (Joe Slovo - African revolutionary) |
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electric
United Kingdom
28 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2007 : 19:39:55
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A very detail and comprehensive info. on the issue Sab,thanks, but what I was trying to put across is that it is more prevalent in the Mandinka tribe.  |
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Chip
United Kingdom
4 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2007 : 19:56:08
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FGM, or as is preferred Female Cutting, serves no purpose. It is cultural and tribal.
I dont know what the Quran says about it, but it is a barbaric and repressive practice from a western point of view.
My objection is that children have this done to them, without any say.
Senegal have made progress in reducing the amount of FGM. It is all about education. |
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Sibo
Denmark
231 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 13:14:38
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Electric
Why do you keep on emphasising that it´s mostl a Mandinka thing????? The fulanis, sarakhules, jolas just to mention a few tribes do it as well. |
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Janky
United Kingdom
92 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 14:12:06
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| What gets me is if the kids have rights then why does no one stand up for them? |
Janky |
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leokat
United Kingdom
123 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 18:21:08
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quote:
Originally posted by gambiabev
I will stay with the family of my guide and ask that the girl only visits me in the day when other people are around.
That way it is not possible to be falsely accused.
I have the girls best interests at heart. In her mothers eyes I am her second mother, her hope of education in Uk one day.
OMG Bev I simply cannot believe I am reading this.
You attended the girl's circumcision ceremony and even led her into the circle??????????
Surely if you'd truly wanted to do something to enhance the future life of this girl you would have worked with her family and helped them to question the practice. You were and are, by your own admission, in a position of influence with this girl.
In my opinion FMG is an outdated and barbaric practice. That is not to say that I don't understand the traditional and cultural pressures which perpetrate the practice.
One of my main objectives when I speak with young Gambian men is to try to make them open up, debate, and question the practice. I believe that European women, who are able to talk about sexual matters in a way no (pre-circumcision) Gambian woman ever could, can play a fundamental role in changing the perception of FMG as a necessary and desirable practice.
And what of the poor girl. You saw what was happening and you did nothing to challenge this. Now you have 'taken her under your wing' and plan to bring her to the UK to complete her education if possible. So how do you propose to answer her questions when she discovers, as she undoubtedly will in the West, what she has been denied sexually???? Also, how will you explain why, with your greater knowledge and education, you did not even question what was happening to her???
The model Waris Dirie has written passionately about how she came to realise the full impact of what happened to her following her FGM at age five.
ALL IT TAKES FOR EVIL TO SURVIVE IS FOR GOOD PEOPLE TO DO NOTHGING!
Last week on the World Service a prize was awarded to a person who had stood up for what s/he believed in despite the concequences. The first prize was awarded to a West African who had stood up against his parents who wanted to circumcise his sister who did not want to be circumcised. He took his sister and went into hiding with her for three months. Eventually his father could not bear the loss of his only son and asked him home. He went on condition his sister was not circumcised. She remains intact some seven years later.
Also, you will probably have heard about the Gambian circumcisers who recently laid down theor knives.
Change is possible - all it takes is a will. |
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jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2007 : 19:37:22
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"all it takes is will" "ALL IT TAKES FOR EVIL TO SURVIVE IS FOR GOOD PEOPLE TO DO NOTHGING", wise words, so now Bev I challenge you this next time yu are in Gambia speak to the women who hold the knives, and ask they why they do this,they answer it is tradition, it a living, some lay down the knives but perform a "ceremony", replace the a women practioner to lay down the knife, help your sisters in that way.
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LEMON TIME
Afghanistan
1295 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2007 : 14:24:37
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| Stop FMG now!!!!!! |
There is no god but Allah |
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molly75
United Kingdom
86 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2007 : 19:46:31
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Gambiabev, I really can't believe what i have just been reading about you leading the girl into the circle to be circumcised. I have read several of your postings on FGM and womens rights and i am really shocked that you could be involved in such a thing, after the views you have expressed in the past. Yes she may have still been circumcised if you had not been involved, but why be involved in something you did not agree with????
If you did not want to upset the family, then you should have just stayed away altogether, then you would not have felt the need to take part. I don't normally judge people and am fairly open minded, but there is just something really weird about all this!!!!!???? |
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