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WRITING WOMANHOOD

As the thick dust rises to the sky, it leaves a sting in my nose, and tears in my eyes. This has since become my favourite time of the day; hiding in the wave of dust to cry as I sweep clean the compound.
We are neither allowed to cry nor talk about it. My brothers talk about it in whispers, but when Ba finds out, he scolds them and sends them away to the fields. The last time I joined them to talk about it, Ma pulled me by the ears and I had to endure a tongue lashing that stayed piercing my heart for days. As she spoke, her voice trembled, and tears danced in her eyes. I wanted to comfort her, for her sorrow, I thought, were heavier than mine.
I have to finish sweeping the compound and run to the stream to fetch water. This should not be the case. Before this day, I would have gone to the stream first as someone else swept the compound. That someone else, I have since learnt, will not come back to help me with the chores, or to be helped with chores by me. Her soul is probably hovering above the cloud of dust that carries with it the echoes of my tears, the throbbing of my heart and the foreboding music in my soul. She is my late sister.
We are neither allowed to cry nor talk about it, but we saw her body being carried out of the hut. We ran to the back of the house and peeped through the tiny hole on the wall and there was a pool of blood on the floor. She had been kept in the hut for days, and only left as a corpse, with blood seeping through the shroud that draped her body. On the day she was taken in, she put up a spirited fight, but Ba and Ma overpowered her. Later that night, Ma warned me to never be like my sister; to never fight womanhood. To never fight the ways of our fathers. I wondered what the ways of our mothers looked like.
The rising dust shields me from Ma’s hawk eyes, and I bend between the sagging wire mesh. I am running away from home, to a land where womanhood is not written in blood, and a piece of flesh from my genitals.

72 Responses

  1. “I am running away from home, to a land where womanhood is not written in blood, and a piece of flesh from my genitals.”

    This is so POWERFUL.

    2. “Her soul is probably hovering above the cloud of dust that carries with it the echoes of my tears, the throbbing of my heart and the foreboding music in my soul. She is my late sister.”
      every single word in this piece carries a weight, it gets you to think and feel, to be in that space. Truly life changing.

  4. This is a very powerful story that has been written so skillfully. It has made me so emotional and sad that girls still go through FGM, and even die in the process. #ENDFGM

  6. This one pulled me into the main character’s emotions and I could literally feel the pain she was going through, am glad she finally finds hope at the last part of the story. I love it. Kudos to the writer.

  8. ‘…. land where womanhood is not written in blood, and a piece of flesh from my genitals’ is such a powerful and impactful way of telling it. I love the piece. Keep up

  9. A compelling read! This part: “We are neither allowed to cry nor talk about it. My brothers talk about it in whispers, but when Ba finds out, he scolds them and sends them away to the fields“…
    To End FGM, we must create safe spaces that amplify the voices speaking up against this violation of women’s and girls’ rights. To End FGM, we can nevermore speak in hushed tones.

  14. Each time I read something new from you, I get more amazed than the previous time ❤️

    This was so creatively put together and I’m looking forward to be awed some more!

  15. Storytelling is a powerful tool when it comes to bringing the world to talking about issues that need to be talked about. Great job, Scho, for wielding the power you have as a storyteller. Beautiful writing that held my attention and managed to show me the need to champion the #EndFGM campaign.

    1. Such a masterpiece Schollar. It’s really irrational that a family member would perpetually carry out such a barbaric act on their own children. I see a future where FGM will just be a history. Thanks for carving your beautiful words into such a powerful weapon to end FGM.

  27. Amazing 😍 this is very motivating. She’s my editor the person that I trust her with my wordings 🙌. Thanks for sharing about #EndFGM.

  29. “…and only left as a corpse with blood seeping through the shroud that draped her body”

    A very powerful piece.
    #End FGM

  32. A compelling read! This part: “We are neither allowed to cry nor talk about it. My brothers talk about it in whispers, but when Ba finds out, he scolds them and sends them away to the fields“… To End FGM, we must create safe spaces that amplify the voices speaking up against this violation of women’s and girls’ rights. To End FGM, we can nevermore speak in hushed tones

  33. “to never fight womanhood,to never fight the ways of our fathers” you have captured patriarchal norms as the main perpetrators of FGM#End FGM

    Nice piece!

  35. I am running away from home, to a land where womanhood is not written in blood, and a piece of flesh from my genitals.

    Tears welled in my eyes, really captured me

  47. …Ma warned me to never be like my sister; to never fight womanhood. To never fight the ways of our fathers… one day.. just one day, the war on womanhood will be won. Powerful read Scho. #ENDFGM

  53. Home should not be so dangerous a place that our daughters and sisters are forced to leave in order to be safe.

    Home should be where you run to when you feel unsafe. Thanks for continuing this conversation!

  54. Poetic. Poignant. Profound.
    Truer words have never been spoken. The only bad thing about this masterpiece is that it ends – sadly.
    A woman is more than just a rib and a shadow of flesh buried away from her soul.
    Well penned, Scho. May this pen bleed the more in clotting the pain than our sisters endure in the hands of those who ruin the art women are made of – who they are – and NOT what they should be.

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