Confronting female genital mutilation : the role of youth and ICTs in changing Africa

Excision, or female genital mutilation (FGM), in Africa is no longer the private concern only of women; it is a social and political issue that concerns both men and women and this book reports on an innovative research and action project amongst girls and boys in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal. The project explores whether young people's use of information technology could contribute to the abandonment of FGM. In the age of the internet, beliefs and practices of FGM are shifting, particularly among young people. The results of this project show how, in the era of globalized citizenship, a cross-sectional vision that puts young people and gender at the center of development can produce real change. It is not possible, in Africa or elsewhere, to think about female genital mutilation (FGM) in the same way as 25 years ago. The growth in information and communication technologies (ICTs) has changed daily life and contributed to wider discussion of the topic - beliefs and practices are shifting. FGM is no longer the private concern only of women. It is a social and political issue that concerns both men and women. In this age of the internet, the task of abolishing FGM in Africa and constructing a tradition worthy of being passed on must include young people - whose way of living in this world is by being connected, by moving to and fro between the local and the global. This book reports on an innovative research and action project amongst girls and boys in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal to explore whether young people's use of ICTs could contribute to the abandonment of FGM. It shows how, in the era of globalized citizenship, a cross-sectional vision of development that puts young people and gender at the centre of development can produce real change Contents......Page 6 Drawing boards and boxes......Page 7 Abbreviations and acronyms......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Foreword......Page 12 Introduction......Page 16 1 FGM: Broadening the viewpoint......Page 20 2 Clarifying the concepts and issues......Page 35 3 A cross-cutting, participatory and reflexive methodology......Page 51 4 The necessary transdisciplinary approach......Page 72 5 Innovating: politicising the private and including the masculine......Page 91 6 Conclusions and recommendations......Page 106 Notes......Page 122 References......Page 130 H......Page 135 Y......Page 136 With governance high on the agenda in Africa, many governments are using information and communications technologies (ICTs) to develop ways in which they deliver services to citizens. E-governance has the potential to enable local governments to engage ci Marie-hélene Mottin-sylla, Joëlle Palmieri ; Translated By Mamsäit Jagne. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Translated From The French.