A Day I Will Never Forget

"There should be no taboos. We are in a country where we have freedom of voice. Let's utilize it, do its up most and not be intimidated by those who want to shut us up." -The Honor Diaries

A documentary came out in 2002 called "A Day I Will Never Forget", documenting Kenyan women that reveal personal experiences of Female Genital Mutilation.

It saddens me that I was not aware of this documentary before, as it seems that it should have received more recognition than it did.
I have not yet personally watched the documentary, although I plan to blog about it when I do; however, after being made aware of its existence, I found an excellent review of the film on disabilityworld.org by Barbara Kolucki.

Within this review, Kolucki talks about the reasons why FGM is practiced:
"Deeply imbedded beliefs... The film presents us with all of the rationalizations why this practice continues: it is part of culture and traditions that must be kept alive; the clitoris is either a male organ or that it is somehow "dirty"; the practice keeps women from being promiscuous; it is demanded by religion, etc. We also hear from a small group of women who have been subjected to FGM and say that they can still feel aroused - and that they accept it as part of the wish of their family and the men they will marry. What is most evident is that these beliefs are deeply embedded in the minds of women and men from all walks of life."

I think that documentaries like this, that interview women who support the practice, as well as women that discourage FGM, is necessary to gain a better understanding about the underlying cultural believes that surround the practice.

I think that since many Westerners do not understand FGM, they demonize those who practice it. I believe that it is important to understand the tradition and the cultures surrounding it, and not to simply disregard it as savage or inhumane.

Let's talk about it.
Let's see it from every perspective and give the mic to those that have experienced the practice first hand.