Celebrating end to Excisions in Gninlasso

No more excisions in our village...... ever! Declares the slogan on the banner.
Female excision was made illegal in both Cote D'Ivoire and Mali almost 30 years ago.
Yet today is still a hot topic as many many villages still practice it. Women are weak, and prone to wander sexually, african theory goes... So to avoid this removal of their external sex organs keeps them interested in home and family. This practice, destroying women's bodies in a painful way, is to promote purity. It is interesting that this culture that prizes babies so much, makes it that much harder for a woman to deliver a baby.

This village is celebrating the fact that they are now complying with the law that was passed over 30 years ago. They are being heralded as a village to be looked up to. So other villages would follow their good example. In American timing, they are way late.... In Malian timing, you can never be late. Anyway... I do certainly support an end to this practice.



Even though this villages' decision is 30 years late. It is not too late for these girls. Several of these girls are christians, and go to the Gninlasso church there in the village. Pray that they would follow Christ with all their hearts, and become the women of God Christ wants them to be.



As with any celebration in Africa, dancing, dancing, dancing is the way to celebrate. One time in a church, we showed pictures of africans dancing. Someone was totally appalled that Christians would dance in africa. Dancing has a lot of bad connotations in the USA, but in africa is a expression of joy. For many women, it is one of the few outlets they have to celebrate and have fun. They work so hard most of the time. African dancing is cultural, not boy-girl based like in America. And when the dust kicks up... the grins appear. Todays celebration was something worth dancing about....

Praise the Lord for the work he is doing in Mali

Thanks for stopping by,
Tom & Lisa