by Abdi-Noor Mohamed
Sunday, February 06, 2011
06 February is recognized as the International Zero Tolerance Day of Female Genital Mutilation and in my capacity as a writer and a poet, I wish to appeal to all those who cut the girls to do away with the millennia-old traditions and stop FGM once and for all. The Zero Tolerance Day has been observed today in many parts of Europe and in Vaxjo, Sweden, we have organized a seminar at the kulturparken but due to a short notice the turn over has been very low. I am glad that we can share the message with millions across the world through the use of internet.
Quite a number of organizations and civil society institutions around the world are involved in ending FGM and, on the basis of the information obtained from them, they are making a far greater impact on the communites who still practice it. Amnesty International, Ireland, being one of the forerunners of this noble cause of ending FGM, has set up a campaign team, partners of action and Strong Voices to fight FGM in Europe where half a million of women are reportedly inflicted with FGM according to attached poster produced by Amnesty International. FGM in Europe could, to some extent, be considered as part of a migration effect which should be dealt with through educating those who practiced FGM in their own lands. In many countries of the world, FGM is a culture and a rite of passage but in Europe it is a crime. It is a violation of human rights punishable by long terms of jail. I am proud to be a Strong Voice based in Sweden. You can also be a Strong voice against FGM if you have a story to share with the world and a will to fight the practice by visiting this site: www.endfgm.eu Thanks.
Please share this poetry with me which I dedicate to the sisters and daughters who have been subjected to the horrors of FGM and to those who are at risk now of being mutilated in the name of culture.
Real Pain
Birth of a baby must be a blessing event
But mine was nothing short of a curse
Daddy's face didn't shine. Drums didn't make noise
No shots were fired. No ceremony was held
The new born was me. I am a girl
In my culture, gender counts most.
A girl is not as welcome as a baby boy
Raising camel in the rangeland
is family's highest priority
They believe a girl has no hands for that
Harsh combat against the enemies
is family's highest priority
They believe a girl has no heart for that
Reconciliation in the aftermath of a clash
is family's highest priority
They believe a girl has no head for that
At five I had to face the worst
A knife cut across my genitals
A midwife circumcised me
Stitched me. Infibulated me
Where I used to have a clit
I have a black scar now
Why inflict me with this pain?
This real Pain of primitive cultures
In tears I am, at every stage of my life
Mom and Dad, am I not a daughter?
Dear Brother, am I not a sister?
Dear mankind, wherever you are
am I not a human being?
Tears, Tears, Tears
Sounds of Misery
With a knife Amina got circumcised
She was stitched and infibulated
Drugs not administered to kill pain
Hearts had shown her no mercy
Hands were so cruel in their action
They cut more to let her cry more
Unconscious and bleeding, Amina died
What a painful exit!
Bells of injustice only make sounds of misery
Stop FGM. Stop it please. Stop it now
A Painful Cut
Legs pulled apart
Knife went straight
Into my private parts
It cut across painfully
Cruel hands stitched me
Infibulated me ruthlessly
Blood drained in the summer heat
Disappeared into the waiting sand
Leaving me potentially impaired
Denying me to be a total woman
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Abdi-Noor Mohamed
Kulturparken, Vaxjo.
Sweden
[email protected]
www.authorsden.com/abdinoorhajimohamed