VZCZCXRO2782
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHRY #0208/01 0981612
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081612Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3601
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000208 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM GV
SUBJECT: EXPLORING FGM- SORCERY, SECRECY, AND LIVELIHOODS 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY.  During a recent visit to the Forest Region, 
Assistant Poloff explored the practice of Female Genital 
Mutilation (FGM), which affects an estimated 96% of the 
female population in Guinea.  An interview with two women who 
perform FGM revealed that the exclusion of men and the belief 
in sorcery are important social aspects which contribute to 
the continued secrecy surrounding the practice.  The women 
also highlighted the importance of creating economic 
alternatives for FGM practitioners as a means to eliminate 
the practice.  The women's comments suggested that educating 
men, addressing the belief in sorcery, and creating 
alternative livelihoods for practitioners are crucial 
elements to ending FGM.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) During a recent trip to the Forest Region, Asst Poloff 
met with local authorities, citizens, and NGOs working to 
combat the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).  In 
the village of Gbangbadou, near Kissidougou, Asst Poloff had 
a rare opportunity to interview women who actually perform 
FGM, or "excision".  The interview took place at the 
community health center, with four local women in attendance. 
 Two excisers were present, one of whom was elderly and spoke 
no French.  The other women assisted with translation of the 
local language. 
 
-------------------- 
THE EXCISION PROCESS 
-------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) In Gbangbadou and the surrounding villages, excision 
was previously performed at the age of puberty, just before a 
woman was sent to her husband.  Presently, there is no fixed 
age at which girls are excised and it is left to the parents' 
discretion.  Ceremonies accompany an excision and can last 
anywhere from three to five days.  During these ceremonies, 
there is dancing, drumming, and singing; generally, food and 
money are given as gifts to the girl's family.  The exciser 
said that girls are prepared "morally" for the excision, but 
are not given details of the process.  The excision takes 
place in the forest, usually near a river.  Although any 
woman can attend the actual procedure, it is usually older 
girls who have already been excised and/or older female 
relatives such as aunts or grandmothers.  When asked if 
mothers attend, the excisers exclaimed "never!," noting that 
mothers do not want to watch their daughters suffer. 
 
¶4. (U) When asked to describe the form of excision practiced 
in the region, the excisers first requested that Asst Poloff 
outline the different types.  The excisers confirmed that in 
the Forest region, the clitoris and labia minora are removed. 
 After hearing a description of infibulation (in which the 
vagina is sewn closed or narrowed), the excisers commented 
that "only the Peuhl do that."  They also explained that 
there is no strict rule concerning what genital tissue to 
remove, and that the exciser decides.  No anesthetic is given 
to the girls, although some traditional medicines are used. 
One of the women helping to translate explained to Asst 
Poloff that if the family prefers anesthetic, they will take 
their daughters to the hospital for "coiffage" (a phrase 
which translates roughly to getting one's hair done). 
"Coiffage" is performed by nurses or other medical 
practitioners who generally use anesthetic and remove only 
the clitoris. 
 
------------------- 
THE ROLE OF SORCERY 
------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The excisers balked when questioned about the role of 
men in the practice of excision.  The younger exciser 
explained that men would not "dare" involve themselves in the 
domain of women.  She noted that female and male ceremonies 
are kept entirely separate, and that the consequences of not 
keeping them distinct are serious.  The older exciser 
recounted a story of a man who had accidentally witnessed an 
excision while walking in the forest.  After describing to 
his fellow villagers what he had seen, he was afflicted by a 
sorcerer with a swollen belly, as if pregnant, and reportedly 
died shortly thereafter. 
 
¶6. (U) When asked about the frequency of medical 
complications during an excision, the women admitted that 
hemorrhages and infections happen occasionally, but that 
deaths are rare.  They then explained that the cases of 
deaths are due either to a sorcerer having been present at 
the excision or to the girl having been a sorcerer herself. 
The older exciser claimed that sorcerers often attend 
excisions uninvited, which is why the exact time and date of 
an excision must be kept secret.  The threat of sorcery is 
also why there are only one or two women in a village that 
 
CONAKRY 00000208  002 OF 002 
 
 
perform excision and why the practice is often passed on from 
mother to daughter; the women who perform excision also know 
the secrets of combating sorcery.  For example, during a 
recent excision, a snake curled up in the girl's blood.  It 
was the exciser's own powers that kept the snake, which was 
believed to be a sorcerer in spirit form, from biting the 
girl. 
 
------------------- 
WHO HOLDS THE KNIFE 
------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) The women maintained that the rationale for the 
continued practice of excision was simply African custom. 
The women noted that girls who are not excised are made fun 
of by other children and often excluded from play and 
activities.  The younger exciser felt that it is important to 
educate both parents and youth about the dangers of excision, 
but that it is insufficient to eliminate the practice.  She 
claimed eliminating the practice would be difficult primarily 
because excisers would need other sources of revenue.  Noting 
that several villages around Guekedou had renounced excision 
because the women performing it had been provided with 
another means of living, she argued that "all problems center 
around those who hold the knife."  If no one will perform it, 
then it does not matter if families want their girls to be 
excised.  However, the older exciser disagreed.  She compared 
excision to abortion, noting that there will always be 
someone willing to perform the procedure.  Indeed, she said 
that if asked by a parent, she would excise the girl even if 
she had another means of living. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶7. (U) The women spoke willingly and frankly about the 
practice of excision.  Although the younger women present 
seemed knowledgeable about the movement to end the practice 
and open to its abandonment, the older exciser was clearly 
skeptical and committed to continuing the practice.  The 
extent to which a belief in sorcery plays a role in their 
lives, and in the ceremony itself, was striking, indicating 
that any education strategy that does not address this aspect 
might not succeed.  The women confirmed that men are actively 
excluded from the practice, which suggests that involving 
them is key to combating the practice.  The women also 
supported providing the practitioners with another means of 
employment as an effective way to end FGM. 
 
RASPOLIC