Synopsis
"In the morning they shaved my head and gave me a ceremonial necklace. The day was actually very special. In the evening they laid me down on a leather in front of the house entrance. The women held me by the shoulders and by the legs. It hurt terribly. You will never know…" These are the words of 31-year-old Elisabeth, a Sambur from the Nangida village. Female circumcision is something very common in Northern Kenya. The Samburs inhabiting the local dry bush consider it as part of their culture; as something their ancestors did so that it is necessary to continue doing it. They believe that if a woman is not circumstanced she is unreliable. She doesn't have any value for the society; she is just a child. It is only after circumcision that she can get married and get a bit of respect as she gets old. The position of women in the Sambur society is rather poor. To the Samburs, the clitoris and the pubic labia represent something you can cut as easily as hair or nails.
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