---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 21:33:18 +0000
From: Molly Melching <[log in to unmask]>
To: Declaration ab <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: 1,140 Communities have now abandoned FGC in Senegal!!

ENDING FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING IN DIALACOTO -
A CELEBRATION OF LIFE AND CULTURE

On September 21, 2003, 606 representatives from 202 villages in the three
rural communities of Dialacoto, Netteboulou and Missirah, Region of
Tambacounda, gathered in Dialacoto to publicly announce their communal
decision to abandon the practices of FGC and early marriage forever.
Dialacoto, a village located 8 hours from Dakar near Niokola Koba Park,
worked to organize this declaration with the help of a local Pilot Committee
over the past five months.

Although it rained in the morning, the skies cleared just in time for the
event.  Dancers, musicians and singers from the Fulani, Mandinka, Bassari,
Tanda, Diahanké and Koniadjie ethnic groups from the participating villages
began the ceremony with a display of the rich cultural heritage of this
southeastern region and celebrated with extraordinary joy, enthousiasm and
determination.  Villagers were surprised to see ancient and mystical
headdresses and costumes that had not been used for over 20 years as people
whirled and danced  to traditional instruments and drums.  A group from the
blacksmiths caste, including all of the local circumcisers, moved in a slow
rythmic dance led by a white haired elder who mesmerized the audience with
his piercing gaze.  Women sang ancient circumcision songs but had rewritten
the words in Mandinka:  "We are abandoning a practice that has led to much
suffering for girls and women.  We will maintain our positive practices and
say goodbye to those which do not lead to health and well-being thanks to
our education program."  The class participants and Dialacoto youth
organization presented plays on the harmful effects of FGC and early
marriage.  The highly respected Imam from Dialacoto stated that Islam
condemns FGC because of potentially harmful health consequences and argued
that it should be abandoned by all Muslims everywhere.

The declaration for the abandonment of Female Genital Cutting and early
marriage that reflected the commitment of the men, women, children,
religious leaders, village chiefs and circumcisers of the 202 villages was
read by village women and girls in Mandinka, Fulani, Bassari and French.
The villagers explained that their decision was made after participating in
the Tostan education program in national languages with support from the
Government of Senegal, Unicef and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Participants also thanked AJWS, the Wallace Research Foundation and the
Rotary Millenium Club for their support for micro-credit projects and health
improvement activities in the Region of Tambacounda.  The three Presidents
of the Rural Communities asked that new Tostan classes be opened in the many
villages which have not yet benefited from the program.

Guests attending the declaration included the Vice President of and two
deputies from the National Assembly of Senegal, the Governor of Tambacounda,
the Representative of Unicef, the Director of Rotary Millenium Dakar, many
local authorities, national and international press correspondents, the
Director of Tostan and representatives from UNFPA, ASDI and Amnesty
International. Large delegations of villagers from other regions of Senegal
including Ziguinchor, Kolda, Kaolack, Thies, St. Louis and Matam attended,
as well as a group of six Guineans participating in a Tostan training
program funded by USAID Guinea.

Speakers congratulated the villagers on their positive decision and their
commitment to the promotion of human rights and health.  The Unicef
Representative discussed the importance of the participation of all members
of the community - the Imam, the Village Chief, the women's groups and the
youth groups in this noble movement towards the improvement of living
conditions in the region.  He emphasized the importance of providing basic
education and income generating activities for adolescent girls who will no
longer be forced to marry at an early age and said that Unicef will continue
to accompany the villagers in their quest for better living conditions and
health in the future.  The Vice President of the National Assembly expressed
her wish to see all villages of Senegal abandon the practice in this joyful
way, rather than resorting to enforcement of the law passed in 1999 by the
Senegalese Parliament.  The Rotary Millenium Club Director offered 22 sewing
machines, kits and training for the Tambacounda circumcisers to help them
with an alternative means for earning money.  A representative of the Guinea
delegation congratulated the populations of Dialacoto and hoped that after
the implementation of the Tostan program in Guinea, they would achieve the
same results.   The Governor of Tambacounda ended the ceremony with an
inspiring speech which was followed by a communal lunch prepared for
hundreds of guests.

The heavy rains began again as soon as everyone had arrived safely at their
destination, leading people to comment that surely the heavens had approved
of and had contributed to this historic declaration in Dialacoto, September
21, 2003.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~