As I approach Ngangata village in Kaptanya sub-county in Kapchorwa district, a young girl Ms. Siyam Chebet, 13, emerges from the village, sounding a drum and shouting hoarse her voice in Kupsabiny, a local language here.
“Tibegi Atayage, Rotwet. Amuye Zotu Wuyendei Jo Bereyi Legwat. Amache kajweishet, ku-u korku, won-setab koruuk ako. Kinye kikukeite kunye miat am soboondap korko ako ndarasitinakap. Ciyonte wonsetap titek, cecamte ntara,” meaning “Girls reject Female Genital Mutilation [Female circumcision], it causes difficulties in child birth. Let us respect the girl-child, it is outdated; it is a health risk, inhuman and an abuse of rights of every girl and woman. We must stop it.”
The entire village comes out to see what the drum is all about and they are dazed when this little girl approaches them with these words.
Although I was surprised when I heard this from this young girl, only in primary six at Ngangata primary school, I stood still, listened to the message and looked at the young girl. I wanted to speak back but not knowing the language, an inner voice restrained me. The look on her face, the courage and the voice left no doubt in my mind that this girl was determined to spread her message all over the village.
This illustrates how many Sabiny girls are determined to take FGM next year despite President Museveni prohibiting the practice and describing FGM as crude, outdated and an infringement on the rights of the girl-child.
For Mr. Samson Chelimo her father, the fact that the words were coming from his own daughter, was a shock in itself. Why? Sabiny girls are not supposed to respond to their fathers and elders in this form; they are expected to sit a distance away from their parents, listen, and do whatever the elders have decided.
However, the look on her face left no doubt that Ms. Chebet was capable of taking on every man who thinks FGM is the only passage to womanhood for Sabiny girls.
Mr. Chelimo was dumbfounded. He wanted to scold, arrest and discipline her as a father would in the family but was restrained by the area local council led by Mr. Nasur Cheroitich.
The looks on his face left no doubt in his mind that at some stage, the encounter would develop into a violent confrontation.
Mr. Chelimo’s experience illustrates what many Sabiny traditionalists are going through after young girls and women started going through the villages spreading anti-FGM slogans and participating in a programme launched by Reproductive Education And Community Health, (REACH), an NGO, where drama, songs and poems in Kupsabiny, the local language, are used to fight FGM.
The messages, lessons, plays and songs spread throughout the villages emphasise that girls and women have rights and that it is up to them to decide the right cultures that can help girls get into adulthood. The messages highlight the constitutional provisions like the duties of a citizen and female emancipation through education to discard the harmful FGM that is practiced in Kapchorwa, Kween, Bukwo and Amudat districts.
Under the programme, REACH, has initiated the participation of Sabiny irrespective of sex, educational background and age in a wide range of civic education programmes through face-to-face meetings at their homes, churches, through young girls who go drumming throughout the villages, drama, and songs to end FGM.
The Executive Director of REACH, Ms. Beatrice Chelangat, told Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper recently: “Although Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly says no one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, many of the Sabiny don’t know these rights. That is why they force girls into FGM. Our target now should be to bring these rights down to these people in Kupsabiny. Teach them children’s rights and women emancipation,” she said.
Dr. Abeja Apunyo UNFPA says the organisation is committed to the advancement of human rights in the world to ensure that women live as human beings without being subjected to untold suffering through FGM. She revealed that UNFPA stresses the interconnections between culture, gender and human rights and their impact in programming.
“Gender equality is simultaneously a goal and a human right and gender mainstreaming is a cross-cutting strategy for achieving this goal. Cultural factors need to be taken into account in an entry point strategy and a social framework and where the cultures are bad, undermine development, our advise is that they are done away with to pave way for development,” said Dr. Abeja.
Under the new programme, REACH is to initiate participation of all the Sabiny girls irrespective of educational background and age in a wide range of civic education programmes through the villages to end FGM.
The LCI chairman of Nangangata village Mr. Cheroitich says at the homesteads; the traditional learning centres, villages and community schools, great emphasis has been put on traditional dances and drama, riddles, proverbs, songs, to help discard the practice of FGM.
“With the law in place now, our target is to bring these rights to people in Kupsabiny, in the local language here, teach them children’s rights and women emancipation. We have allowed the girls to move through the villages to sensitise people,” said Mr. Cherotich.
Mr. Cherotich says with sensitisation from REACH they believe that increased sensitization and attainment of human capabilities and knowledge of constitutional rights of the girl-child, the traditional Sabiny stands as the pre-requisite to fighting the FGM culture which is deep rooted amongst the traditionalists who view FGM as a “great moment in the life of a woman” and cause for celebration in the community. They believe that a woman uncircumcised is dirty, or unfit to marry.
“And any form of clitoral stimulation is seen as non-hygienic and thought to kill a child during childbirth. Amongst the Sabiny here there is a belief that circumcision is the only way to control a woman’s insatiable and irresponsible sex drive, and if not mutilated, the woman’s clitoris will grow to the size of a penis. This is terribly untrue, superstitious and uncooth,” said Ms Chelangat.
Under the theme, Peace and freedom from bondage of Female Genital Mutilation launched in Kween district, Chemania grounds, in Kaproron sub-county the Executive Director Inter-African Committee against FGM Ms Berhane Raswork urged the local people not only to talk and legislate against the FGM but to also engage children using local drama and songs to end the practice.
Ms Berhane, who is spearheading change in Sebei sub-region through girl-child movement through the villages using the local drama, songs and messages says besides drama against FGM crusades, REACH would also try to improve on the low capacity in participatory and gender analysis as well as weak political will to pursue participatory and gender sensitive practices.
