Mae Azango the Liberian newspaper reporter renowned for her reporting of stories of ordinary Liberians has been in hiding since her reporting on the taboo practice of female genital mutilation. Azango’s article described how tribes still practice genital mutilation, resulting in her receiving death threats “…tell me that they will catch me and cut me so that will make me shut up” despite human rights groups and The World Health Organization having campaigned to stop the practice. Azango has been interviewed by Jina Moore, where she detailed a witness’s account “Four women held her down, and a woman cut her,  …many girls were circumcised at the same time.  …when they cut them they don’t use any form of anesthesia. And it hurt. She said it hurt so much. Why should you carry a woman through that? Grabbing her and torturing her and cutting her is a violation of her rights. …If it was a white woman or a foreign journalist doing it [reporting], nobody would have a problem with the story, but because I’m a Liberian and I live in Liberia, I should know my role. I should know my line of demarcation.”

 

Inspired by Jina Moore http://ow.ly/a6tCv image source New Narratives http://ow.ly/a6sIS