Halimata Fofana, 40, is French, of Senegalese origin. At the age of 5, she saw an excision in Senegal: while her parents told her that she was going to the market, with her aunt, she found herself with a circumciser who practices on a chain. She returns to France with part of her clitoris amputated and resumes her life “as if nothing had happened”.
Halimata’s life changes when she is only 5 years old. She is on vacation in Senegal with her parents. She thinks of going to the market with her aunt, but she does not know that what she is regarding to experience will remain etched in her memory all her life. “From the market… we move on to female circumcision“, says Halimata Fofana. “Violence, it is there: I am a little girl, I arrive in an environment where I see bloodstains everywhere on a loincloth on the ground.“
That day, Halimata is circumcised. A lady cuts off part of her clitoris. No one explains to him what is happening to him, or why it is happening to him. “The pain is monstrous, I thought I was going to die. And no matter how much you cry for help, there is no one who can save you.“This pain, this genital mutilation, marks the moment when Halimata, a 5-year-old girl, sees herself”tear away his innocence“, as described by the 40-year-old woman sitting across from us.
35,000 circumcised women in Belgium
Halimata Fofana is now an author, she has written two books to lift the veil on the reality of excision. We met her in Belgium, on the occasion of the release of her second book, “A l’ombre de la cité Rimbaud”. She was born and raised in France, with her two parents of Senegalese origin.
We realize that a woman is circumcised at the time of her delivery
In France, the number of circumcised women is estimated at 125,000. In Belgium, it’s 35,000. “I don’t think we’re aware enough [dans nos sociétés, ndlr]”, reacts the author. “I think there are even many more circumcised women. Because it’s done clandestinely, and there’s the weight of the taboo, we don’t talk regarding it. We realize that a woman is circumcised when she gives birth.”
For Halimata Fofana, the taboo is not only present among women who have undergone excision, but also within the medical profession. “They dare not talk regarding it, even when they see that an excision has been performed“, says the writer. “As long as the taboo persists, we will continue to perpetrate this amputation. From the moment there is a dialogue, we begin to break little by little.”
It is for this reason that today Halimata Fofana is the “spokesperson” of all these women who have undergone genital mutilation. In the 27 African countries, as well as in Indonesia, Iraq, the Maldives and Yemen, there are an estimated 200 million.
1 woman is circumcised every 4 minutes
Our interview with Halimata Fofana lasts 40 minutes. In this period of time, this means that 10 women or girls have been mutilated. To put an end to this “curse”, which is transmitted from generation to generation, education is a central point. Indeed, the practice is above all linked to cultural beliefs. “Some think that by excising their little girl, the girl will not look elsewhere“, says Halimata.”It’s a question of honor: if the girl is not a virgin at the time of marriage, it brings dishonor to the whole family.”
Parents who excise their own children think they are doing well, convinced that they are the guarantors of their daughters’ honor. In some cultures, it is considered a “purification” of the body, a hygienic practice. But excising women’s bodies is above all a way of controlling their pleasure, and of controlling them even in their intimacy.
The other solution is repression. In Belgium, excision is punishable by sentences of 3 to 5 years in prison, both for the parents and for the people who practice the excision. But in the end, few files really succeed.
Life following circumcision
“Reconstruction” is the key word. It is primarily psychological, but also physical. Indeed, reconstructive surgery can be performed on mutilated women. “Me, I used it“, Halimata confides in us.”But that’s not what gives your body back to you.” For the young woman, the mark is indelible, and present for life. Female circumcision is a deep trauma that requires intense lifelong work. This work also involves forgiveness, starting with forgiving one’s own parents.
On a lighter note, Halimata also remembers a woman who meant a lot during difficult times: singer Celine Dion. “I dedicate my book to her, which shows how important she was in my life!”, says the author. “When I was young, I looked out the window listening to Céline Dion, and I said to myself: ‘You, Halimata, you are going to have a better future!’ She allowed me to believe that there were beautiful things waiting for me.”
Appeased, the author admits to us that her biggest dream, currently, would be to meet this idol who saved her, and why not send her a message, through her interviews, and her fight for mutilated women.