We were lucky enough to be joined for a Q&A session by the filmmaker
Giselle Portenier. Here is a selection of those Q&A’s.
Q: The film addresses a topic that for Q: How ancient of a tradition is FGM or
many would be very uncomfortable to cutting?
discuss or comprehend. Why did you
make the film?
A: As per a UNFPA document: “The origins
A: The film is about some of the bravest,
&
A
most inspiring girls in the world,
Tanzanian girls as young as eight who risk
everything, including their lives, to follow
their dreams. These girls do not want to
go through FGM. No child, once informed
of what’s ahead, volunteers to be harmed
in any way. They are bribed, cajoled,
threatened, and forced. And, furthermore,
it is about a woman, Rhobi Samwelly, who
risks her own life to protect the girls.
We all have daughters, nieces,
granddaughters,
friends’ daughters, neighbors’
daughters. Once you know about FGM,
you can’t unknow. It’s another reason
people close their eyes to the film, and to
the issue.
The film is called In the Name of Your
Daughter because it is made in the name
of everyone’s daughter who deserves
protection from harm. How far will each
of us go to protect our own daughter from
the harm that is female genital mutilation?
Why aren’t we doing the same for other
people’s daughters?
of the practice are unclear. It predates the
rise of Christianity and Islam. It is said
that some Egyptian mummies display
characteristics of FGM. As recently as
the 1950s, clitoridectomy was practiced
in Western Europe and the United States
to treat perceived ailments including
hysteria, epilepsy, mental disorders,
masturbation, nymphomania, and
melancholia. In other words, the practice
of FGM has been followed by many
different peoples and societies across the
ages and continents.”
Q: What was/is the main purpose or
objective of FGM?
A: The varying cultures that practice this
all have different rationales and customs
behind it, mostly to control the sexuality
of girls and women. The result is the same,
irreparable damage to a child. There is no
one religion that requires FGM.
AWCH will host another screening and
an online auction to raise funds for
the amazing women and girls that are
supported by S.A.F.E.
We also need to remember that fighting
FGM is not about colonialism; it’s about
protecting human rights enshrined in
all sorts of international human-rights
treaties, starting with the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
In the meantime, to learn more about
the Target Project, go to www.fawco.org/
global-issues/target-program/health/
blog-health-matters. Or ask me, Christine
R., [email protected]
www.awchamburg.org 7