Monthly: April 2007

This is meant to primarily be an entertainment blog, but today I read something that raised my feminist hackles so much that I have to post about it.

You may not be aware but on March 31 the Eritrean government banned female genital mutilation (FGM, also known as female “circumcision”).

In looking up this story on Google News I was confronted with several opinion pieces in African newspapers by a man called Berhane M. Tekeste.

In these articles, the writer argues that Eritreans have a right to practice FGM as a cultural heritage and that, if done by “safely” by medical practitioners, the procedure is merely a “choice.” He says that FGM may be considered necessary in some cases and he calls upon the government to allow families to perform FGM on their little girls in order to preserve their culture.

ERITREA: Gov’t declares Female Circumcision illegal – Garowe Online, Somalia
Eritrea: Is female circumcision necessary? – Garowe Online, Somalia
Concluding remarks on female circumcision – Eritrea Daily

The article that got my attention was in the Sudan Tribune: Might is right, govt bans female circumcision

The article says similar things to the other opinion pieces. “Female circumcision is no different than any other non-therapeutic and/or aesthetic surgery,” writes Tekeste in his best, reasonable voice.

Things get a little bit more rabid in the comments section, however, when his arguments are challenged by an articulate Abesha woman who has not been mutilated. She makes her point by saying that the equivalent of FGM would be chopping of a man’s penis, and no-one would be defending that practice as a legitimate act of “culture.”

This is what he had to say to her second comment:

Woman, stop fantasizing. There is no need to be hysterical about chopping off your favorite male genital organ, penis. Rest assured, it will never happen. Penis is going to be there for you forever…

My challenge is to provide reasons why FC must be abolished: Medical reasons are indubitably moot; other reasons are simply subjective and constitute no grounds whatsoever to ban FC. You preserved your clit, you are hyperSexy. And that renders you a perfect object in service of male entertainment and pleasure fantasies. Good for you, that is your choice. You ain’t got any right to impose that on others. Enjoy what you got. Good luck.

Nice to know that at least three African media outlets are giving this man space on their opinion page.

None of the three papers aired a view opposing FGM.

The fact is this: FGM is overwhelmingly performed on children. They do not and cannot give their consent. It is a form of child abuse, pure and simple.

FGM robs women of normal sexual function. A girl is born with a clitoris. She is meant to experience sexual pleasure with it. This is not a subjective thing, it is anatomical fact.

FGM in its more severe forms can also interfere with normal bodily functions such as urination and menstruation. It can cause problems with childbirth and many mutilated women suffer from anxiety and other mental problems due to being cut. Preventing FGM prevents bad health.

FGM is a feminist issue, because in so many cases it is used to control women’s sexuality and reproduction, for the benefit of men. While FGM is often performed and upheld by women, I would argue that it is ultimately the result of a patriarchal society, one that puts a priority on women being “marriageable” above all else.

Even if things changed so that only adult, consenting women were able to undergo the “procedure” it would still need to be opposed, because ultimately, “female circumcision” is harmful to women.

Tekeste argues that FGM should be protected as a cultural practice. Unfortunately, this belief in the cultural necessity of FGM is what is making it so hard to eradicate. The Eritrean law is a step in the right direction, but the government has to change attitudes through education to make a real difference. Ultimately, it is the aware women and men of Eritrea and other African nations, who will stop FGM.

But when African media outlets publish views in support of FGM, change becomes a little harder to achieve.

* A note about the photo. I wasn’t sure if I should include this picture because it’s very confronting. The fact is there aren’t many pics of FGM out there and I’ve long been curious as to what it looks like. Having seen it, I can’t help but feel even more opposed to the practice. I’m including it so you can see just why I think Mr Tekeste’s “reasonable” arguments are offensive.

The photo came from this page, which also has a pic of “Sunna” cutting where the clitoral hood and inner labia have been removed.