FEMSPECTIVES 2020 - In Search…
FEMSPECTIVES 2020
As a young girl growing up in Kenya, Beryl Magoko chose to undergo “female circumcision” without her mother’s consent, as she believed it to be a rite of passage into womanhood. She felt immense peer pressure as a child because every girl was cut — it is considered tradition. Now living in Germany, Magoko continues to suffer from the pain and humiliation female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/c) has caused her. She has become aware that reconstructive surgery exists to restore what was lost upon FGM but she fears she may be making another mistake.
Beryl Magoko spends much of In Search… having raw discussions with other women who have undergone female gential mutilation. She asks the women why they chose to undergo FGM, with most responding that they did not choose to have the procedure done to them. More often than not, FGM has been forced on them by their relatives. In a way, Magoko had FGM forced on her as well, unaware of the consequences. It was societal pressure that led her to decide to be cut, even though she was only a child. The women give reasons why FGM happens: tradition, culture, religion. Despite these excuses, the reason FGM occurs because it is a form of control over women and their sexuality.
During her discussions with other female gential mutilation survivors, they touch upon the topic of reconstructive surgery. Some of the women have undergone the procedure and say that it was the best choice they have ever made, others are fearful of letting anyone near that area of their bodies again. All agree that if Magoko thinks reconstruction will help her, then she should have the surgery. In addition to the extreme physical pain that occurs during female genital mutilation, cutting can also negatively affect urination, menstruation and sexual pleasure in women.
During the filming of In Search…, Magoko and her team fly to Kenya twice to visit Magoko’s family. She feels that she must speak to her mother first before choosing to undergo reconstructive surgery. Magoko’s mother and all the women in her family have undergone FGM. In their second trip to Kenya, Magoko documents the actions of Clitoraid, an event where leading doctors come to teach local Kenyan surgeons how to perform reconstructive surgery on those who have undergone FGM. Dr. Marci Bowers is a transgender female working closely with Clitoraid to educate other surgeons on how to perform FGM reversal. Dr. Bowers has the air of a guardian angel and is extremely patient with the FGM survivors; she is featured in a short documentary by Vice that Magoko mentions in her film. In The Cut That Heals, Dr. Bowers describes how she feels empathy for FGM survivors because she has undergone gender reassignment surgery. She explains how women’s genitals can be so integral to their identity and FGM reversal is such a simple procedure that can help women gain their sense of identity back.
More than 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting worldwide. Oftentimes, the cutters are older women who have undergone the procedure themselves — typically respected figures in their families or villages. The cutters are victims themselves, they too have undergone FGM and have been conditioned to believe that “female circumcision” is a necessity. While the film can be quite emotionally distressing, Beryl Magoko’s In Search… presents an opportunity to raise more awareness of the impact of FGM. It is important that the voices of FGM/c survivors be heard. Speaking out against female genital mutilation can help stop the practice. Education on women’s health and sexuality is what is needed to make positive change in societies that still practice FGM.