Ethiopia and the Clitoris: Power, Pleasure, and Pain

Giorgia Okeefe

The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) has been around for centuries and is not specific to any one religious or ethnic group.  It is believed to have originated in Egypt during the Pharonic period because the earliest known records documenting it are found there. It is now present all over Africa, in parts of the middle-east, and even among immigrant communities in Europe and The United States. Ethiopia has one of the highest rates of FGM in the world. The World Health Organization and UNICEF report that approximately 74% of women in Ethiopia have undergone FGM, and that in most rural areas it is almost universal (97%-100%). FGM correlates with higher rates of HIV infection and infant mortality. In the World Health Organization’s collaborative study, “Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Obstetric Outcome”, the immediate and long-term consequences of this practice are reported. Immediate consequences can include excessive bleeding, urinary tract infection, HIV infection, and death. The long-term consequences are possibly even more alarming, and often include chronic pain, persistent infections, cysts and abscesses, decreased sexual enjoyment, infertility, fistula, and dangers in childbirth. Studies show that women who have undergone FGM have higher rates of infant mortality and a high incidence of post-partum hemorrhaging. Hemorrhaging and fistula are especially life-threatening complications for women in rural and without skilled birth attendants.

In different cultures you find different theories behind the practice of FGM. In my reading on the subject I have come across some amazing justifications. Some rural communities in Africa say that if the clitoris is not removed it will secrete fluids that harm babies during birth, or that the clitoris will continue to grow, not externally but internally, up through the body until it stabs you in the brain and kills you. These examples are obviously extreme and not the norm, but never the less, they’re out there. Other cultures say that clitoral cutting is a rite of passage for girls transitioning into womanhood, and liken it to male circumcision. The social and theoretical particulars of FGM are diverse. Those wishing to understand and end the practice face the challenge of finding the common threads supporting FGM as well as the orientation unique to the community they’re working in.

So what beliefs are behind FGM here in Ethiopia? I am incredibly curious and have been taking advantage of opportunities to ask questions about it since my arrival. Ethiopia has only just classified FGM as a “Harmful Traditional Practice” and illegalized it in 2004. It is still incredibly prevalent throughout the country, even in urban areas, and is extremely taboo to speak of. However, I have met people open enough to share some stories with me and I have had the fortune of working with Teshome Segni of ICEDA who has been active in the field of harmful traditional practices for many years. The following is a recounting of theories and stories that have been told to me.

“A woman must be circumcised or else she will break things, things like cups and dishes. She will be too high strung and clumsy. Also, she is likely to beat her husband.”

The idea is that a woman’s clitoris is a source of power that women should not be allowed to have. The power of the clitoris will infuse her with such strength that she will not be able to control her simplest movements (breaking cups) and will act out aggressively towards men (beating husbands). Teshome told me a story about one of his visits to the rural region ICEDA works in. He was speaking to a group of women and they told him an interesting story:

“A woman from a different tribe and area had moved into their village. She married a man and now lived among them. The women of the village were concerned, saying that there was something wrong with her. She was very assertive and aggressive. They said that when her husband would get in disagreements with other men she would defend him with force, hitting the other men. The women thought that the only explanation for this problem could be that this woman still had her clitoris. So, they all conspired to find out if that was indeed the case. At the next women’s gathering the women jumped on the unsuspecting foreigner, held her down, and ripped up her skirts. To their surprise though, she was circumcised just like them.”

Teshome let out a grin and a hooping laugh as he finished this story. I laughed with him, at its ridiculousness and the ironic ending. Really though, our eyes communicated what a deeply troubling tale it was.

The other reason for FGM has to do with fidelity and pleasure. It is believed that an uncircumcised woman will not be able to remain faithful to her husband, and that sexual pleasure is only for men. Men fear that if a woman is allowed to experience the pleasure her clitoris brings she will not stay with him. Families worry that if they don’t circumcise their daughters they will not be able to stay in their marriage, bringing a lot of problems and shame to the family. Circumcision is meant to strip women of their power and remove any potential for sexual pleasure. A good woman then, is one that engages in intercourse only for her husband’s pleasure and to produce children. She should not show or experience any enjoyment during the act.

BBC has produced a reality TV series called Tribal Wives which films the experiences of European women living among tribal peoples for a month. The other night I watched one of their episodes that takes place here in Ethiopia in the Afar tribe who practice the most extreme form of FGM, total infibulation. Infibulation includes the removal of the clitoris and the labia minora. Once all of this is scraped off, the vaginal opening is sewn shut, leaving only a small hole at the bottom for urine and menstrual blood to pass through. I don’t think we can even imagine the pain and suffering these women endure. It is estimated that 1 in 12 women in this region die during child birth. In the show, the European woman asks the Afar women what this is like and why they continue the practice. They tell her that it causes them a lot of pain and problems during childbirth, but that they must continue because of the men. If they don’t do it the men will think that they are having sex all the time and won’t accept them. Because of the men’s fear and aggression (wife beating is common place here) infibulation is necessary for their survival, even though it might kill them.

I have not heard FGM in Ethiopia referred to as a rite of passage for women. It is always explained as a removal of power and pleasure no matter how much pain results. It is about male fear and insecurity. When I asked one man about the origins of FGM he said that it began with a very fearful man who had a very beautiful woman. What does this statement say aboutmen and gender relations in Ethiopian?

In addition to having high rates of FGM, Ethiopia also has high rates of domestic violence (wife beating). Women are expected to labor day in and day out yet female strength is not valued. Maternal mortality is through the roof yet women are pressured to continue the practice of  FGM. Men want their communities to prosper and the country to develop. But if only they saw that in order for a society to be healthy, women must be healthy. If only they saw that it is in their best interest to nurture and empower women, that this is essential to development. I think these things whenever I see a young pregnant woman carrying huge jugs of water down the streets as men sit under trees or on corners, conversing or playing cards. I think these things whenever I see little girls, I wonder if she will go to school, if someone has cut her, if someone beats her, if someone rapes her. I worry about the girls I see, beautiful, gentle and kind. What will happen to them? When will men stop being afraid of women, and when will they stop the violence and abuse?

I realize that the attitude of this post may come off as rather pessimistic and negative. Don’t get me wrong. Things are improving, slowly but surely. And there are many men and women in Ethiopia working to promote gender equality and end violence. I am inspired and moved by these people and their work. Toppling practices and theories that have remained strong for centuries is no easy task. It takes courage, compassion, and I suppose a lot of patience.