Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter

Film: Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter

In this film, Mrs. Goundo is seeking asylum in the United States. Mrs. Goundo gave birth to her daughter in the United States and did not want to be sent back to Mali, West Africa because then her daughter would be forced to undergo circumcision. Mrs. Goundo had to undergo circumcision, or female genital mutilation, as a child—it is a Bambara tradition. This procedure is very painful and dangerous in terms of one’s health. The process for Mrs. Goundo to be granted asylum is a long process. Many people who go through this process get denied because their testimonies seem inconsistent but usually there is just miscommunication. Therefore, Mrs. Goundo was very nervous throughout the process because she did not want her daughter to be subjected to circumcision.

On March 1, 2007 Mrs. Goundo had her court hearing. She was very worried that she would not get an interpreter because she did not want any miscommunications. Luckily, she got a Soninke translator and she believed he was a good man that would do his best to avoid miscommunication. Her application was untimely, a technicality, because she was 22 and there is a “one-year issue” because she would have needed to seek asylum at 21. Mrs. Goundo explains how she and her sister were circumcised. She describes the brutality of the procedure. She describes the nightmares she had because she saw a circumcised girl bleeding heavily when she was eight years old. The biggest issue for Mrs. Goundo was that if the judge decided she must leave the United States and she brought her daughter, Djenabou, with her, she would be circumcised. Her daughter was a U.S. citizen so she would not be deported but Mrs. Goundo had no one to leave her with. Mrs. Goundo explained that she could not stop the circumcision of her daughter. She said that it is part of the culture and her parents, or even a neighbor, would force her daughter to be circumcised. In the end, Mrs. Goundo was able to file for a green card to get approval for asylum. During the appeal process, Mrs. Goundo had another daughter. This process was very long and hard for her, additionally she misses Africa, but it is worth it for her to stay so that her daughters do not get circumcised.

The film does not only discuss Mrs. Goundo’s court case, but also the issue of female genital mutilation. Health activists as well as supporters of circumcision share their opinions. There are different types of circumcisions in which they cut different parts. There circumcisions are very painful and there is a lot of blood. The girls are so young that they sometimes cut too much because they do not know what they are cutting. One person in the film said, “this month, this neighborhood alone, there were six deaths.” The circumcisions cut the desire of a woman in half. One man said, “ if she wants to be with a man ten times then her desire is cut in half if she has the excision.” The excisions are a way for men to control women’s sexuality. They think that if a woman is not circumcised that she will be unfaithful to her husband. Men think that if a woman is not circumcised, then every time she has the chance she will sleep with another man. But the circumcisions are torturous for women. The pleasure for a woman is diminished, but more importantly, there is severe pain and there can be health problems such as infections. One woman said that all of her children were born premature because her cervix opens at four months due to the circumcision. Mrs. Goundo is part of the Sninke ethnic society (Mali, practice Islam) and some people think that circumcision was done to the wives of the Prophet so if you are a true Muslim you must follow the Prophet and do it. Women are speaking out more about excision because they suffer greatly and say they should make it pubic but some say must be done because Islamic practice. One group starting working in a village in 1997 to stop circumcisions and by 2002 the village had abandoned the practice. Some people think there should be law outlawing the practice but others say that it is not enough to outlaw it because you need to change people’s minds because it is more dangerous if people do it in private because then they can’t get medical help if they need it. I think it is a tough battle to fight but health activists and women who have suffered from this practice should keep fighting to stop circumcisions in Africa.