THE VOW
โItโs so easy for them nowadays; they do it in less than ten minutes.โ
โWhat are you talking about;โ Amira asks grandma who is sited on the bench outside the maternity ward.
Amiraโs mother had just given birth to her younger sister.
โGrandma, why are you not happy?โ she asks
โI am my daughter, I am happy for this generation, this liberal generation. โGrandma says moving closer to Amira. They hug tightly and go into the ward where Amiraโs mother is.
โShe will be called Wacan, says grandma. Amira looks at her mum to confirm her dislike for the name. โMummy, itโs not modern, call her Zahya not Wacan, how will her friends pronounce it?โ
Idil, her mum smiles. She can now afford a smile and tries to sit.
โDo not force yourself Idil.โ Grandma says holding Idilโs hand
โItโs okay mummy, it does not hurt like it did during your times.โ She says tightening her grip
โWhat times do you keep taking about with grandma?
โฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆ
Grandma is preparing an oil concoction for the baby when Amira knocks at her door.
โCome in Amira, why are you still up?โ
โPlease tell me about those times, I want to knowโ
Grandma sits on her bed and welcomes Amira to join her; she holds her hand and begins
โMy dear, you are lucky to be born in this generation. When I was 9 years old, myself and my friends had to go through Female genital mutilation. I know you have never heard about this,
โNo, I have not, โAmira answered looking very curious
โBack in my times, they would cut off our clitoris, that is a part of your private part toโฆ
โWait, what do you mean grandma?โ Amira shouted
โYes, my dear, they said if we had the clitoris, we would be promiscuous and so all of us girls had them chopped off. Some of the girls had their parts almost sealed.โ
โAnd mummy? Did she go through it too?โ Amira asked looking scared
โNo, I made sure she did not.โ
โHow? Why did you not save yourself too?โ
โI wish there was someone to save me then. At the age of 16 I begun campaigns in my village to fight against FGM. It was not easy to break the shackles of culture. I made a vow, never to cut my generation.
Today you are that generation!โ