My mind angrily returns to excision, female circumcision, and my heart breaks. The scariest part as far as I can tell (along with the input of my friend and fellow volunteer, Christina Wood) is that although Men surely initiate and demand it, it is the elderly Women themselves who enforce it. As an initiation ritual or a rite of passage or even “everyone’s doing it”…
Damn it that is INFURIATING.
Where is that bridge everyone keeps talking about? Because feminism just jumped off…
…………………………………………
It pains me to think that Wurdia, graceful, lovely, intelligent in her own right, mother of 12 (though only 7 remain), funny, has felt that pain and that destruction and has possibly reaped none of the benefits. It’s sad to know that my lovely host sister, pre-teen Tene, will feel nothing… although in many ways that is a blessing.
At nearly 9am this morning it felt like 2pm. Now at 2pm it feels like another day has passed and yet I’m still in this one.
An afternoon spent in the fields with Wurdia… I’m tired and happy. Although my battle with flying and crawling and slinking and disgusting insects goes on, my blisters help to urge the attention elsewhere.
I think I’ll hand out some photos and make some smiles.
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