Prisoners of Ritual: An Odyssey Into Female Genital Circumcision in Africa

by Hanny Lightfoot Klein, Ellen Cole, Esther D. Rothblum

This unique volume focuses on the psychosexual and social effects of female genital mutilation, an ancient, deeply entrenched custom saturating the larger part of Africa. Over a period of six years, Author Hanny Lightfoot-Klein trekked through outlying areas of Sudan, Kenya, and Egypt, where she lived with a number of African families. What she learned by way of in-depth personal interviews and firsthand observation has enabled her to add a previously unknown and often astonishing dimension to our knowledge of ritual practices and human sexuality. This valuable book will be extremely helpful to professionals and scholars in women's studies, social psychology, psychotherapy, psychiatry, gynecology, sexology, as well as cross-cultural and African studies. It should also interest anyone who is concerned with male circumcision in the United States.

318 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 1989

Reviews

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible and compelling book about the social aspects of this entrenched African practice. I ordered as much material (through interlibrary loan) as I could find about this subject, soaked it up and have never forgotten it. This is the kind of gender injustice I can get angry about!

[Michael Connolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the Author: The author is a British woman who spent a lot of time in the Sudan between 1979 and 1983 researching female genital mutilation. She currently serves as an expert witness in immigration courts for women seeking asylum from genital cutting, forced marriage, honor killing and rape.

Overview: This book describes a cultural practice of the cutting of the female genitalia that is widespread in Africa. The practice predates Islam, but it is more common among Muslims than among Christians. About a hundred million African women have undergone genital cutting.

Forms of Cutting
• cutting off the clitoral hood (prepuce)
• cutting off the clitoris (clitoridectomy)
• cutting off the labia minora

Sunna vs. Pharaonic: The Prophet Mohammed advocated female prepuce circumcision only. This is called Sunna circumcision. The more extreme female genital mutilations are called pharaonic circumcisions, or scraping the girl clean.

Infibulation: Infibulation is the sewing together of the labia majora. Only a small hole is left at the bottom, not large enough for a penis, but large enough for urine and menstrual flow. After a woman has given birth, she is often infibulated again, to make her tight again, to increase the sexual pleasure of her husband.

Midwives: Female genital mutilation is performed mainly by midwives, but also by barbers, religious figures, and old women of the blacksmith class. Razor blades, scissors, and kitchen knives are used for the operation.

Consequences for Women
• Difficulty urinating
• Painful menstruation
• Wound healing adhesions
• Scarring and keloid formation
• Pain during intercourse
• Lack of orgasm
• Kidney and urinary tract infections
• Difficulty in receiving gynecological examinations
• Repressed rage
• Depression
• Bleeding
• Death

Tribes That Cut Their Women
• Beni Amir of eastern Sudan
• Beja Hadandawa of the eastern Sudan
• Beja Amar’ar of the eastern Sudan
• Beja Bisharyyin of the eastern Sudan
• Kikuyu of Kenya

Tribes That Do Not Cut
• Rashaida Arabs in the Sudan
• Kinin Tuareg of Darfur
• Luo of South Sudan and Kenya
• Christians in South Sudan

Countries Practicing Female Genital Mutilation
• Egypt
• Sudan
• Ethiopia
• Tanzania
• Nigeria
• Mali
• Burkina Faso
• Senegal
• Djibouti
• Somalia
• Kenya

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was thorough and kept me captive. Each section was pretty easy to move through and truly enlightening to the real issues that keep female circumcision from being something that's already been eradicated. Just, wow.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dated. But really interesting nonetheless...

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

supposedly a novice anthropologist author, but wow is she eloquent! a "can't put down" book on anthropology, who knew. of course, the subject is fascinating to a western, non-circumcised woman, and very enlightening to the fact that its not an easy to fix issue. like most things, outsiders can't just condemn and enforce from the outside. a superb read. also encouraging as a female solo traveler!