---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 17:59:08 +0000
From: Molly Melching <[log in to unmask]>
To: Declaration ab <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: 118 villages end FGC in OULAMPANE - December 7, 2003

1,271 VILLAGES HAVE ABANDONED FGC AND EARLY MARRIAGE
IN SENEGAL THROUGH PUBLIC DECLARATION SINCE 1997

Dear Friends,

It was a beautiful, sunny December morning when thousands of people arrived
in the village of Oulampane to celebrate the end of Female Genital Cutting
and early marriage by representatives from 118 villages in the Regions of
Casamance and Kolda.  They are members of the Diola Fogni ethnic group who
have practiced these traditions for centuries in this luxuriously green and
heavily wooded area of Senegal located near the border of the Gambia.

After participating in the Tostan Village Empowerment Program supported by
the Adopt-a-Village initiative from 2001-02, followed by the Tostan literacy
program supported by Unicef and the Banyan Tree in 2003, class participants
from 20 villages decided to organize public sessions to share the new
information on human rights and negative health consequences of FGC and
early marriage with other members of their communities.  When surrounding
villages heard of these deliberations, they asked to meet and discuss the
issue as intermarrying relatives and neighbors that are accustomed to making
important decisions as a unified group.  The Diolas are well known for their
concensual method of making decisions and all members of society had to be
consulted before the final announcement was made on December 7, 2003.
Attending other declarations for the abandonment of FGC and early marriage
in the regions of Kaolack, Tambacounda and Kolda over the past 3 years also
inspired the participants to end these practices in the same manner: a
joyful and positive celebration of health, human rights and positive
traditions of the Diola Fogni group.

During the explanations as to why they were abandoning these practices, one
woman, Terema Diedhiou, emotionally related that her own daughter had died
following the FGC operation due to severe hemorrhaging and her niece had
died after prolonged labor at the young age of 12.  Other testimonials by
local religious and traditional leaders, presidents of the rural
communities, women leaders, former circumcisers and a representative of the
youth groups were interspersed with dance, songs and "mysteries of the
forest".  These traditional, mystical creatures from the Casamance had not
been witnessed for many years in this troubled area of the country.  The
excitement of the crowd was clearly visible when hundreds of children rushed
forward in waves to see the unusual masks and costumes that they had only
imagined in their dreams from having listened to around-the-fire stories
over the years.

Speakers also noted that the Tostan program, which emphasizes the
understanding and application of human rights and responsibilities, has also
led to other positive effects in the region:  peace-keeping initiatives,
active Village Management Committees, universal birth registration, hygiene
activities, better health practices, decrease in domestic violence, an
emergence of women's leadership and general problem-solving initiatives.

A skit was performed on the dangers of FGC and early marriage and the
circumcisers threw away the equipment they once used during the FGC
operation:  knives, amulettes, "protective" water and specially woven belts.

Many guests from the region attended the public declaration:  NGOs,
government partners, women's groups from Ziguinchor and other neighboring
villages, delegations from the Region of Kolda and from the Gambia.  Twenty
local and international journalists from the television, radio and written
press interviewed participants and helped to spread the declaration's
positive messages for the respect of health and human rights across the
country.  For the first time, the entire ceremony was broadcast live on
Ziguinchor radio, reaching hundreds of villages throughout the Casamance and
in Gambia.

The Representative of the Governor of the Region of Senegal, the
Representative of Unicef, the President of the Rotary Millenium Club of
Dakar and a Representative from Inglemoor High School who traveled from
Seattle, Washington (one of the Adopt-a-Village sponsors), all congratulated
the 118 villages on their historic and courageous decision.  The President
of the Rotary Millenium Club presented 10 sewing machines to the
circumcisers as an alternative means for them to earn a living.  Inglemoor
High School students donated a millet machine to their adopted village,
Bona.

The ceremony ended shortly before 7 PM as the sun was setting on these
harmful traditions in the Casamance and with hope for a new and healthier
dawn for the young girls of the region.

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

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