Drama-based Look at Female Genital Mutilation
The play "Sense of Belonging - the tale of Ikpiko" features seven women recounting their experiences with FGM. Ikpiko is a reference to the abuse against girls who are not circumcised in western Nigeria. The play is based on the real life experiences of women.
In the film "Uncut: Playing With Life", scenesof circumcision are juxtaposed with the stories of several of the women who were involved in the original drama project. The central character of the film is a circumciser, whom viewers watch abandon her work in order to advocate for change in her community. As part of the film, women talk to the camera about the anger and frustration they felt at having discovered they were circumcised as babies.
Women, Health.
The World Health Organisation estimates that globally, around 130 million women have been circumcised, with the highest incidence found in parts of Africa. In Western Nigeria alone, 89-90% of women have been circumcised. Circumcision is often performed in unhygienic conditions. The majority of FGM takes the form of a clitoridectomy, which involves removing all or part of the clitoris. This is frequently performed by untrained people using blunt, unhygienic instruments, without anaesthetics, often resulting in heavy bleeding, infections and sometimes death. While considered by some cultures as an essential rite of passage to womanhood, opposition to the practice has largely come from outside these communities, with the United Nations pledging to eradicate it within three generations.
"Drama changes attitudes towards genital mutiliation" on the BBC News site on November 8 2002.
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