Storyteller Videos

Please Listen

Absa joined her peers in teasing girls who had not been cut, until she learned the devastating impacts of the practice, by participating in a women’s rights group. Since then, she has spoken against female genital cutting/mutilation (FGM/C) across the Gambia, in West Africa, and also in the United States, where she now resides. She struggles with the fact that she cannot convince her own family members that cutting is wrong.

Challenging Ideas

An incident in one of her college classes in the United States shakes Hunter, who has known since her teenage years that she wants to be involved in ending female genital cutting/mutilation (FGM/C). When fellow students claim the practice must be respected as a cultural tradition, Hunter counters this by explaining it’s a human rights violation. She learns later that the students were misinformed about the harms of FGM/C by professors and comes away from the experience realizing that it’s important to challenge ideas we know to be incorrect, even when expressed by those we trust.

Unspoken

In this tender piece, Naima speaks in poetry to her mother, from whom she has long been estranged, about her memories of growing up in a traditional cultural context that valued girls only for their promise as future wives and subjected them to female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Naima expresses her care for her mother, her regret for their mutual pain, and the strength she cultivates in protecting her own young daughter from enduring what she and her mother went through.

The Day I Lost My Voice (Ketika Aku Kehilangan Diriku)

Themes of silencing and betrayal anchor this story, in which Siti describes the ceremony surrounding her experience of FGM/C. Siti and her sister were dressed up, told to behave, washed with cold water, and cautioned to be quiet, before being cut. They sat quietly while guests at their family home celebrated with food. But Siti is determined now that her voice will be heard.

Women Objectified

Nonya, who came with her family to the U.S. from Egypt at a young age, was spared by her mother from being cut on a family trip back home. She speaks of feeling cared for and protected by her mother, and of her own growing understanding of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Egyptian culture. Urged by her brother and by a close friend, Nonya started a nonprofit dedicated to educating young people about the practice and providing mental health support to women who have undergone it.

Keep on Dancing and Be Free

Jenny addresses her story to her sister, who she lost several years ago to an accidental overdose. They come from a fundamentalist Christian family in the U.S. and were sent on a plane to an undisclosed location to undergo female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) as girls. Jenny wonders whether her sister experienced the same painful physical and emotional impacts she did and expresses the wish that they had been able to talk about something that was shrouded in shame and silence, as they grew into adulthood.

Listen

Hatim’s sister underwent female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) as a girl, something Hatim learns only after finding out his family is from a practising community. In this tender recollection, he shares the close bond he and his sister had as young children and wonders whether the FGM/C contributed to their having grown apart. Hatim talks about how reaching out to his sister and listening to her speak of her FGM/C has opened a door towards renewed closeness, and ends by urging all men to speak out.

The Female Cut

As an ob-gyn doctor, Sharan has seen numerous patients who have experienced FGM/C, and yet, she struggles to understand the complexity of the issue. In her story, Sharan ranges across time as she describes various encounters with women who have been cut and reflects on the implications of the practice for both providers and patients.

Same Same

Karen is a nurse practitioner, the daughter of immigrant parents, and a committed social justice advocate. In this story, she talks about a time when a fellow woman immigrant asked her to do an exam and confirm a history of FGM/C. Karen felt the weight of being viewed as a legal authority and reflects on the complicated decisions that providers make on a daily basis, in an effort to ensure they can provide quality care.

Becoming an Advocate

Angela shares the story of being haunted by memories of growing up in Sierra Leone and seeing girls coming out of the bush after enduring FGM/C. Although she and her sister were not cut, protected by parents who resisted the practice, she felt the need to speak out. Angela has spent much of her adult life supporting interventions for women who have been cut and championing efforts to end FGM/C.

Still Alive

Not until she moved from Chad to the U.S. did Bayor find a safe environment in which to disclose having experienced FGM/C. In her powerful story, she describes telling a friend, a group of classmates, and, finally, the world, by writing a book about the brutality of what she went through. Bayor ends with words of defiance towards those who threaten women with death, if they speak out.

Awareness

Mariam, a young medical student, reflects on the lack of focus in the curriculum on women’s external genitalia, and its implications for health providers who may encounter patients who have experienced FGM/C. As a member of a practicing community, she is familiar with issues that are typically silenced, and yet, she knows that future generations of physicians need to know how cutting impacts women, in order to provide the best care they can.

How Many Women?

Comfort talks in her story about a practice shrouded in silence – a form of FGM/C in Zimbabwe which involves pulling and stretching the labia. When she revealed her resulting chronic pain, a friend referred her to a surgeon, who was able to help. Comfort wonders how many other women in her country have gone through similar pain and talks about the importance of naming and speaking out against what she experienced.

Finding My Voice

Renee was a three year old growing up in a Christian farming family in the Midwest, when her mother took her a doctor who performed female genital mutilation (FGM). For much of her younger adult life, Renee kept quiet about what she experienced. More recently, she has spoken out and connected with a global community of advocates against FGM.

A Daughter's Questions

In her powerful story, Maryah remembers a media interview that her mother agreed to do, about the decision she made years ago to have Maryah undergo female genital cutting as a young girl. Although she knows that her mother loves her, she continues to wonder why she couldn’t have made a different choice.

Shame

Leena talks about her experience of being cut when she was seven, when an aunt took her to a Bohra woman to be cut. She describes the event vividly, the shame she felt afterward, and wonders whether she might be better able to enjoy her sexuality, had she not been forced to undergo the practice.

Tradition

Severina was educated by Catholic nuns in northern Kenya. During a school break, she returned to her Samburu community, where she was forced to undergo female genital mutilation. Her memories of the experience are deeply painful, and she questions why this tradition is allowed to continue, in the name of preserving culture.

Loyalty

In her story Zehra reflects on what it means to be both strongly against the continuation of khatna (female genital cutting) and a loyal supporter of her beloved Bohra Muslim community. She points out the hypocrisy of those who claim that Bohras are progressive and supportive of women, and demands that she be allowed to love the community and challenge it to grow.

Unfiltered

In this deeply honest piece, Salma talks about the silencing of any discussion about feelings, in her family, and then reveals her memories of undergoing khatna (female genital cutting), which she buried deep within herself for years. Now, Salma is finding that talking about her experience is making her braver, and she hopes her story will do the same for others.

Awakening

In this poignant story, Aisha, who experienced female genital mutilation when she was five years old, talks about feeling betrayed when she overhears her mother urging an aunt not to have her daughter undergo the procedure. Aisha also addresses the ways that Somali women and girls who are not cut face stigma, by their peers and by men in the community.

Shattered Silences

In this powerful story, Mariya speaks candidly about her experience as a survivor of “vacation cutting”– female genital cutting done when U.S.-born children are taken out of the country to visit family members in parts of the world where the procedure is not yet illegal. She highlights the importance of storytelling for bringing open conversation about cutting out of the silence, shifting the cultural norms that condone it, and pushing for an end to all forms of female genital cutting.

Questions

In her poignant story, Sarata, a young West African immigrant, speaks frankly about the shame she felt, due to being cut, and about the many unanswered questions she has, about the procedure’s impact on her physical health. Sarata sought help from providers but was disappointed by their lack of information which points to the clear dearth of research on the long-term health effects of FGM/C, over women’s lives.

Validation

Pakistani American Maryah describes a childhood of knowing she was different, and a young adulthood full of questions, especially about khatna (FGC). While she has few physical symptoms due to experiencing it, she struggled with depression. In her story, Mariyah compares the responses of two therapists to her disclosure of being cut and comes to an awareness of how much she had yearned to be seen and acknowledged in her anger and pain.

If Someone Asks

In this compelling story, Arefa recalls a trip to Kenya with her family when she was a child, when she was told, “If someone asks if it has been done, say yes.” Only later did she understand that her grandmother and mother were referring to khatna (female genital cutting/mutilation, or FGM/C). As a doctor and a mother, Arefa questions why this ritual continues within different communities and urges parents who have decided not to subject their daughters to the tradition to share this decision with pride.

Courage

A dinner table conversation turned into a revelation, for this storyteller, who was shocked to learn that khatna (female genital cutting/mutilation, or FGM/C) is practiced in her Bohra Muslim community. She was aware of FGM/C but had no idea that some of the girls she grew up with may have undergone it. While her parents urge her to keep quiet about the fact that she was not cut, she chooses a different path, in speaking openly.

Never Imagined

In her story, Lola takes a journey to visit her mother, as well as a journey into the past, to explore why she was cut. Her mother tells her that she did it “as an act of love,” to ensure Lola could find a good marriage, but Lola knows that the Nigerian tradition of female genital cutting/mutilation (FGM/C), upheld by generations of women in her family, is not about love, but about patriarchy. She wonders if her physical and psychic wounds will ever heal.

An Advocate's Journey

Nesha, a children’s rights advocate, learns of the links between child marriage and female genital cutting/mutilation (FGM/C) as she follows the 2017 court case against a Bohra doctor in Michigan accused of cutting. Wanting to know more about the practice in the Bohra Muslim community, she is deeply moved when she meets a survivor. Today, Nesha’s commitment to advocating against FGM/C continues to grow.

Women Divided

What comparisons can be drawn between girls’ experiences of growing up in religious traditions that believe women’s sexuality is something that must be controlled? How do these beliefs diminish women’s ability to be fully human? Nicole explores these questions by linking her own Christian upbringing in the United States with the belief shared among female genital cutting/mutilation (FGM/C) practicing-communities globally that women’s bodies are not acceptable, as they are.

A Chorus of Voices

The powerlessness of girls to resist tradition is the backdrop of Aarefa’s story, in which she explores her journey from a sense of helplessness to a place of seeing as a young adult that she, too, can speak out against khatna (FGM/C). This recognition led her to challenge the anger and discouragement of relatives, in response to her decision to speak out and to take action with her voice as part of a growing chorus for change.

Why?

A bustling Bohra neighbourhood in Mumbai is the setting for Fakhera’s story, which describes her confusion at being taken by her mother to an unknown woman who asked her to remove her panties and then performed FGM/C on her. Fakhera reveals the sense of betrayal she experienced and yearns to understand why her mother, who was progressive in many ways, allowed her to be cut.

Change

Rhobi reveals the cruelty of FGM/C as she shares the story of a young girl in her Tanzanian village whose body was cast into the bush after she bled to death due to being cut. Rhobi’s own experience of the FGM/C is life-threatening, and this finally compels her family to stop the practice. They become models in their village, where other families also decide to stop subjecting their girls to being cut.

A Seemingly Innocuous Cut (Adakah Sunat Perempuan Tidak Bermasalah)

Saza recounts an outing with her family to meet her newly-born cousin. After sitting down for a delicious lunch, she is shocked to learn that the baby was recently cut. When she expresses her outrage, her sister informs her that she, too, underwent FGM/C as a young girl. Saza vows to put all her energy into ensuring other girls in Singapore won’t be subjected to the practice.

Anger

At the age of 31, after her brother makes comments against female khatna (FGM/C), Shabana’s memory of having been cut floods to the surface for the first time. In her story, she describes the waves of anger and confusion which overwhelmed her, and her difficulty in coming to terms with the fact that a piece of her had been taken, without her permission. Her frustration is magnified by a feeling of having no one specific to blame.

Lithotomy Position

In this beautifully poetic and visually creative story, Su uses poetry to express her pain over the lasting impacts of experiencing FGM/C. Set during the birth of her child, the piece describes the insensitivity of Su’s health providers and family members, who fail to acknowledge the re-surfacing of the original trauma of being cut and as such act out legacies of patriarchy, racism, and misogyny.

A Sense Of Loss

Not until she was 40 did Tasneem find the courage to seek counselling support related to having undergone FGM/C. She then looks for a medical explanation of what happened to her, only to be disappointed by the clinician’s unintentionally hurtful response. While she has some closure, she continues to feel the loss of what was done to her, without her permission.

Consequences

Zenab shares the chilling story of undergoing FGM/C as a young girl. At her mother’s request, she was taken by an aunt to the home of strangers, where she was held down and cut. Zenab was too shocked to say anything, but she refused for some time to speak to her mother. Years later, after realizing that the painful sex she experienced was related to the practice, she successfully protects her granddaughter from what she went through.

A Sunny Day In Seattle

Maryum underwent female genital mutilation at age seven. She discovered years later that her aunt cut her without her parents' consent. Maryum recalls the memory while visiting her niece in Seattle. She goes on to talk about her decision to speak out publicly against FGM, with the hope that future generations of girls will be spared.

Permanent Wound

In this chilling story, Somaya recounts her experience of being cut as a girl in a “group mutilation event” held in her community in Egypt. As she names the ways in which women’s bodies, voices, and freedoms are denied by the state, Somaya then describes fleeing to Turkey, where her attempts to connect with other survivors of female genital cutting/mutilation (FGM/C) result only in women accusing her of being “anti-Muslim.”

It Could Have Been Me

In this story, we learn of the storyteller’s near miss with being subjected to female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and her sense of shame upon learning this. The storyteller goes on to speak of her dawning awareness of the problem after watching a documentary about the practice. She ends by raising a series of poignant questions about why FGM/C continues as a form of patriarchal oppression, in spite of efforts to condemn it.

Silence

Jenny was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali for several years. When she learned that FGM/C is practised in the Bambara community where she lived and worked, she decided to confront elders and demand that it end. In her story, she speaks of her sadness during a return visit, when she found that girls were still being subjected to the pain of cutting.

Forgiveness

Mariya learned when her parents came to visit her that her openness about having experienced khatna (female genital cutting) may impact their standing in the Bohra community. After a tense interaction with her mother, both of them come to a place of love and acceptance, and Mariya is able to forgive her mother for taking her to be cut, as a young girl.

Free

This story explores a woman’s dawning realization that she need not follow every Bohra tradition. After her marriage, her in-laws exposed her to a rational approach to challenging outdated and unsafe practices. As her daughter grew, the storyteller researched the origins of khatna and eventually decided, with the support of her husband, to refrain from having her cut.

Women Divided

What comparisons can be drawn between girls’ experiences of growing up in religious traditions that believe women’s sexuality is something that must be controlled? How do these beliefs diminish women’s ability to be fully human? Nicole explores these questions by linking her own Christian upbringing in the United States with the belief shared among female genital cutting/mutilation (FGM/C) practicing-communities globally that women’s bodies are not acceptable, as they are.

The Medium

Ten years ago, Priya directed and filmed the first documentary film uncovering the practice of khatna (female genital mutilation or cutting, or FGM/C) among the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community in India. While she received a national award for her work, she was unsettled by the Islamophobia that surfaced among viewers. In this film, Priya reflects on her decade-long journey on uncovering the practice of Female Khatna, the growing Islamophobia in India and around the world, and her experience of coming together with storytellers from across the globe.

Are You Listening?

Against a backdrop of dogs howling in response to the Muslim call for prayer in India, this storyteller talks about the myriad ways in which the behavior and sexuality of Bohra girls is controlled, including through the practice of khatna (female genital cutting or mutilation, or FGM/C). When her parents were denied their request to the religious leader, to allow her to marry outside the faith, she chose to anyway, out of love, and a desire to stay true to her beliefs.

Finding Words

While she has “flashbulb memories” of her khatna (female genital cutting or mutilation, or FGM/C) experience, it is not until she leaves home to attend college that Zahara begins to understand the practice as a violation of her rights. In this poignant piece, she shares her struggle to tell her best friend Phiroze about what she went through, his thoughtful and caring response, and her wish to one day be able to talk about it within her family and the larger Bohra community.

Conversations with my Mother

Afiqa nests her story about undergoing female circumcision (female genital mutilation or cutting, or FGM/C) within memories of watching television soap operas with her mother, first as a child, and then again as a young person. Each time the topic of circumcision comes up, Afiqa’s mother makes it clear that she sees it as “normal” within their Malay Muslim culture. Afiqa empathizes with the challenges her mother faces in raising a daughter, but her own reality tells her that FGM/C is wrong.

On Being a Nonbinary Survivor of FGM/C

Dena came out as non-binary around the same time they talked openly in their poetry about their experiences as a survivor of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C). They describe being patronized or ignored when attempting to publicly question where they fit, in the global statistics about the practice. Expressing frustration with the ways that assumptions about sex and gender pigeonhole them as a “woman,” Dena lays claim to their own ability to understand what happened to them, and to define themself.

The Verbal Cut

As a girl, Maryan came to believe several myths about FGM/C and even wondered if her best friend, who was not cut, was “loose” with men, as these myths claim. After learning the practice has no basis in Islam, Maryan began working to end FGM/C. When she was gifted with a daughter, Maryan realized she could protect her from the physical pain of FGM/C but not from the taunting about FGM/C. To this day, her daughter is haunted by the cruel words of “the verbal cut.”

Willing to Learn

For 13 years, anonymous locked away her memories of being subjected to female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C), only to regain them when the topic arose in the middle of a college class. Without knowing quite why, she raised her hand, explained that she is a survivor, and said she was willing to answer questions. Since then, anonymous has actively advocated against female genital cutting and plans to continue doing so until the practice is ended once and for all.

My Body Belongs to Me

Unspoken Words

Anam remembers feeling deeply troubled by the 2017 arrest in Michigan of a doctor from the Bohra community, who was charged under a federal law that bans FGM/C. While her family members expressed their outrage about the incident in a group chat, Anam wondered why no one mentioned the intense pain of FGMC and remained silent. Later, she initiated family conversations about cutting that she hopes will spark change and allow others to finally speak their truth.

Cave of Consciousness

After being subjected to khatna (female genital mutilation or cutting, or FGM/C), Ibtisam wonders if her need for trust and safety influenced her decision to become a counselor/psychosexual therapist. She realizes the profession has in some ways stifled her own voice. In the end, Ibtisam recognizes her own need to be witnessed and seen with compassion, and hopes that being in empathetic connection with others will create an opening to consciously address trauma and the healing of it.

Convincing

When Nevin’s mother told her that she, like many other Sunni Muslim girls in Kerala State, India, had undergone sunnat (the term used to describe female genital mutilation or cutting, or FGM/C, in a number of Sunni Muslim communities), Nevin was shocked. She reached out to family members for answers, but they denied the practice exists in her community. Then she asked a Moula (religious leader) about it, and he defended the practice by saying that it's done to reduce women’s “sexual needs.” Even though Nevin continues to meet other survivors, she is still struggling to convince people that FGM/C occurs in her community.

Incomplete

Farrah’s story begins years ago, when she was in college. Her conservative upbringing and the damage to her self-esteem wrought by khatna (female genital mutilation or cutting, or FGM/C) made it difficult for her to feel comfortable dating and isolated her from her friends. While Farrah has created a life she loves today, she ends her story with questions about whether or not things might have turned out differently, had she not been cut.

Writer's Blood

This visually stunning story from Umme uses the language of metaphor to explore what it’s like to have a memory of FGM/C that marks a turning point in identity development. When Umme was still a girl, they were cut in a medical setting, under anesthesia, with no understanding of why. Today, they grapple with the imposter syndrome of living a life their uncut self could have lived, free of questions of gender and belonging– an identity they feel they "stole" from a more deserving version of themselves, one they love, hate, and envy for being free from this story.

Being Seen

Growing up with vaginismus, an involuntary contraction of the vaginal muscles which can cause pain during sexual intercourse, Cate felt a deep sense of shame about sex and her body. This shame and isolation kept her from speaking up about what she was experiencing. As an anti-FGM/C advocate, she had the privilege to hear other women’s stories about their own struggles with sex and shame. After listening to them, Cate finally felt seen and gained the courage to speak about her own experience.

Not Medicine

In this poignant story, the young anonymous recounts her first experience with a gynecologist. While the doctor seemed approachable at first, her obvious shock and confusion upon seeing out that anonymous has been cut turns the visit into something that feels invasive. Anonymous wonders if she’ll have to face similar reactions every time she visits a health provider or becomes physically intimate with a romantic partner, and points out that no woman should have to face such concerns.

On Being a Woman

Lakshmi opens up about why she feels so connected to women who have experienced FGM/C, even though she herself was not cut: she shares their feeling of shame about their bodies, due to her own struggle with the pain of endometriosis. Lakshmi’s vulnerability in naming what she lives with underscores the importance of storytelling and serves as a call to other advocates, to find their own passion for supporting an end to FGM/C.

Here to Help

Years ago, Nazneen was talking with a male friend about his girlfriend’s inability to enjoy sex and learned the girlfriend had been “snipped.” Even though she grew up in the Bohra community, this was the first time Nazneen heard of the practice. Today, as a physical therapist, she specializes in rehabilitation of the pelvic area and has found a passion for using her unique skills to help alleviate the pain and enhance the pleasure of women who have experienced FGM/C.

Betrayed

In this gripping story, Muna reveals that she has not until now spoken in detail about the day she was cut. She describes being held down by four women at the age of eight, remembering the searing pain of the razor, and seeing her mother’s cold face looking on from across the room. Muna’s sense of being betrayed has stayed with her; to this day, she has difficulty trusting the people closest to her.

I Didn’t Dare Ask

At the age of 11, Caroline was taken from her school in Lagos, Nigeria, to her mother’s rural village, where she was cut. Her story shares the pain she experienced during the procedure and afterwards, when the wound became infected. It also explores the shame she went through, after being ridiculed by her classmates and subsequently fighting with them, which left her friendless. Caroline wonders how a tradition of her people could have put her in a place of isolation and emptiness.

You mean it doesn't have to hurt when I pee?

In her role as an advocate, Doris has heard the words of many refugee women, about the pain they cannot forget – that of being subjected to FGM/C. As a member of a Kenyan community that used to require the practice but eventually gave it up, Doris wonders in her story whether she has been called by her ancestors to lift up women’s voices and take action to ensure future generations of girls are spared.

The "Gift" of Purity

In her story, Faizneen describes being told by her mother that the practice of khatna (female genital mutilation or cutting, or FGM/C) was a “gift of purity” bestowed upon her and all of her female relatives by religious sanction. While she respects her community’s traditions, she believes that Bohras must stop performing khatna and instead begin to protect the real purity – “the kind that comes from love, respect, and the right to make choices about our own bodies.”

The Silent Cycle

Aries grew up in a family where talking about things like puberty, menstruation, reproductive health, and sexuality was considered taboo. When it came time to choose a topic for her public health thesis, she connected to the issue of FGM/C, imagining the difficulty that survivors may have in speaking frankly with health providers. Aries learned through her work that for many women, the practice results not only in a scar, but in a lifelong journey to reclaim ownership over their bodies and wellbeing.

Behind the Wall

Isatou tells the story of hearing drumming and singing one day in her family’s compound in the Gambia. When she went outside to find out what was happening, she was grabbed, carried to a shack on the outskirts of the town, held down, and cut. As an adult, Isatou has suffered chronic infections, vaginismus, and depression. Now, she is learning to heal her pain, with the help of therapists, doctors, and advocates.

Musuya (Womanhood)

S. is Mandinka, which she acknowledges is the community in the Gambia with the highest rate of FGM/C. In this heartbreaking story, she describes being introduced to womanhood through the pain of undergoing FGM/C. To this day, the sight of sharp knives triggered her and is struggling to understand the health implications of what was done to her.

Resilience

Jeniffer grew up with and endured years of abuse at the hands of her father and grandmother, in Portugal. After being sent to live in a convent school, she came to trust the nuns who instilled in her love of learning and education. Although Jeniffer has become accomplished in her career, she reveals her continuing struggle with self confidence. In her video, she shares her desire to support and inspire the young women she works with, who are survivors of FGM/C from Guinea-Bissau.

Culture Change

Gugu grew up in rural South Africa, where she witnessed both male and female friends being sent off to initiation school, as a rite of passage into adulthood and womanhood. In her story, she remembers her own confusion and sadness upon learning of her friends’ struggles, and recounts the loss of her best friend, who died out in the bush from illness and exposure. Gugu is confident that these communities can continue to value their cultural traditions, AND that they can change.

Unmasked

This tender story is told by Amie in the form of a letter to her young niece. Amie describes her own memories of being taken to her father’s village in Senegal and cut as a young girl; and her recent efforts to ensure that a law was passed in Washington State, banning FGM/C. Despite her best efforts, Amie was unable to protect her niece from the practice. Although they share this experience, Amie hopes they will also both share the commitment to speak out against FGM/C.

I Didn’t Dare Ask- Pidgin version