Hello, dear one. I am saying a big WELCOME TO PILLOW TALK WITH FLOURISH. Thank you for sharing in my musings. It’s a beautiful nighttime and I am really glad to share this moment with you again. Without further ado, let us dive into the musing for tonight.
Cut…
Wait! Hold on! What was the first thing that came to your mind? (I think I’ll like to guess). If you are into acting, it means something. In floriculture, it means another thing. For the kitchen folks, it means a whole lot. It could be to cut the beef, chop the carrot, slice the onions, dice the plantain etc. Everything still involves cutting (laughs… you know I love the kitchen). We can see that ‘cut’ means several things to several people in many different forms (and expressions). However, on Pillow Talk tonight, cutting is done in a particular area commonly referred to as the “Private part.”
(I apologize for how this musing might sound tonight. It is a serious matter!)
When a new child is born, the whole family, friends, and foes alike join in celebrating the new addition to the world. The next question will most likely be? Yes, say it. You are absolutely correct! Is the baby a boy or a girl? (a prince or a princess / a bobo or sisi / a king or queen etc) Honestly, I am still looking for the reasons for this question but that’s not for today.
Can we spend a moment to imagine that the baby is a boy? Good! It is a baby boy and happiness is over the roof. Preparations for naming the baby begins and the need for cutting (Circumcision) comes to play. Circumcision of the male child may be for cultural, religious, medical reasons, or a combination of two or more reasons. It is good to know that circumcision is a surgical removal of the foreskin (prepuce) on the penis.
We also should know that this carefully-done act is beneficial to the male. Research has shown that if circumcision is done, a male human has a reduced risk of having urinary tract infections. There is also a reduced chance of contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections and a low risk of penile cancer. (I also learnt that some females prefer the circumcised one). This is clear that it has advantages, right? Perfect!
(Please note that some cultures don’t circumcise their male children until they attain puberty.)
On the other hand, the baby is a girl. A beautiful baby girl just joined the family. For some ridiculous reasons that I shall mention, they also decide to do the “cutting.” It is worthy to mention that it is called Female Genital Mutilation (Cutting) which is often called female circumcision (why??). The World Health Organization says “it comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.” Did you see that? Now, if you ask some people for the whys, you will hear fables. Some cut because they don’t want the girl to be promiscuous before marriage. Another one may say that it will increase marriageability. Others will say that it makes them faithful wives, among some other reasons.
(It is about to get dirty, please.)
The WHO has classified it into 4 types.
Type 1 is excision of the prepuce (clitoral hood) with or without excision of part or entire clitoris (a sensitive part of that area).
Type 2 is a partial or total removal of the clitoris and labia minora with or without removing the labial majora.
Type 3 is excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation).
Type 4 includes all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non- medical purposes- pricking, incising, scraping and cauterization.
FOR GOODNESS’ SAKE, WHY?
Musing on these things, you will agree with me that this act is barbaric, shameful, and unfair to the girl. When will these people wake up to see that there are NO health benefits? The act is associated with lots of complications- both immediate and long-term. Let me tell you some of them. Some girls will bleed heavily, have severe pains, infections, go into shock, and may die.
Long-term complications include difficulty in urinating, vaginal infections, difficulty in passing menstrual blood etc. Many of them will not enjoy sex (argh!) and childbirth might be difficult for some unless there is medical intervention (see Type 3). A number of these girls may have psychological problems too. Strangely, these things are not far from us. Let us try all that we can to eradicate this evil.
Thank you for patiently musing with me tonight.
I will be glad to receive your comments and contributions. You can send me a direct message or leave a response here.
We will meet again on Friday with a juicier musing, God willing.
Much love!
PS: if you would like to know more about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), kindly refer to resources from credible websites.