Wow our tour in the southern countryside of Senegal just ended today. Now back in Dakar there is still one concert to play the 19th of May and some publicity work to do.

Last monday we have arrived in Medina Yoro-Foula, our last destination in the south. Once again we were welcomed by the whole community and our partner organisation Tostan represented by the national coordinator Kalidou Sy. After our arrival we went to the local school to meet with the Imam, the teachers and the students to inform them about our work and to sensitize them for the consequences of the delicate practice of FGC. Once again I was really impressed how positive they responded to our presence and our wish to end FGC.
In the evening the local woman organised a great dance ceremony for us. They really showed me what a powerfull and positive spirit they have. I adore them and our traditional music and dances. I wished you could have enjoyed this magic together with us.

Tuesday morning, after a very nice fare well ceremony from the lovely woman of Medina Yoro-Foula we left the south, crossed Gambia and went to Mbour at the seaside a littly south of Dakar. We arrived there in the late afternoon.
Wednesday we were received by the community leaders of Mbour. Together with Mr. Gueye from Tostan we explaind them our approach and the details of our project. They as well invited us to support them in their own work to promote the human rights. Part of this work is also to end FGC. It’s great to see, that we are on the same track.

Now I left my Band in Mbour were they can have a little rest at the seaside. They really worked very hard the last two weeks. I want to thank them so much. Me and the rest of the stuff went to Dakar today were I had to meet some people.

A more profound résumé of our tour and photos are coming up soon.

Saturday we continued our tour from Thionck Essyl to Sedhiou. Once we have arrived there we had a meeting with the representatives of the acadamic inspection. They are responsible for the schools in the region of Sedhiou. We explaind them our project and which role the schools can take to stop female genital cutting. In the same sense we also had a meeting  on Sunday with the teachers of Sedhjou. They really can do a lot. They can explain to the students the harmful consequences of FGC as they can for HIV. It should be part of the lessons about the human body. I hope that the teachers will have the courage the make this education part of their classes.

Saturday children of the school presented different plays to the public which dealt with the practice of FGC and there also was a exhibition concerning the child rights. In the evening we played another concert at the school ground of the CEM Fode Kaba Dounbouya. The public was very excited and we had a wonderful evening.

Sunday after the meeting with the local teachers and Tostan Sedhjou we travelled to Kolda where we arrived in the evening and were welcome by members of our partner organisation Tostan, the deputy mayor, the local teachers and a huge part of the population. They organised a great welcome cermony with a lot of traditional music and dances for us. After having great fun together I thanked everybody for coming and invited them to follow us on our mission to end FGC.

A lot has happend since my last tour report. We have arrived safely in Ziguinchor in the south of Senegal. On Wednesday (9th May) we visited different school classes in Ziguinchor to talk to the youth about our project and what they can do about it. We had some very interesting conversations with the young students and they were very comprehensiv. Always when I have the chance to talk to these young people and when I see how they follow my message it gives me a lot of strength, that the practice of Female Genital Cutting can come to an end very soon.
Wednesday afternoon I was invited at the radio station Zig FM to talk about our tour and to invite everybody to our concert. Finally in the evening we played our very successfull concert at the school grounds of one school we have visited in the morning.

Thursday we continued our trip to Thionck Essyk, my home town. We arrived there late afternoon and were received by my great Sister Fa fanclub. In the evening I had a meeting with a huge crowd of young people from the village. We had some very constructive discussions. I told them what consequences the practice of FGC has for the health of the woman and especially I tried to encourage them to promote the human rights also by themesselves. I think I could convince them to spread the informations about this harmful practice amongst their familys, friends and neighbours so they can participate to end FGC soon.

Friday morning we all visited the school of Thionck Essyl where we talked again with the students about our project. At the same time I also try to help the school to build up a better infrastructure. They need new blackboards, a better access to fresh water for the studensts, as well as new toillets. So I talked with the teachers, to know what is needed and I also explained them what I have already tried to do to get some funds.

The same day in the evening we played another concert, which was again a big success. Nearly the whole population of Thionck Essyl came and I was very touched by their massiv support.

After some great days  we had our first disappointment on the weekend. Because of some serious technical problems which did not lie to us we had to cancel finally our concert in Dakar.
Now I am completely into preparing everything for our tour in the south. Monday I met with Esther Lehmann from World Vision as well with Gallo Kebe from UNFPA Senegal. With both I have already worked and in future there are new things we want to do together.
Today in the evening we will leave with the ferry to Ziguinchor where we will arrive tomorrow morning. In Ziguinchor we will visit different school classes and in the evening we will play our first concert of the tour in the south of Senegal.

We arrived well in Dakar adapting to the climat and organising everything for our tour to the south of Senegal. We will leave Dakar the 8th with the ferry to Ziguinchor.

But before there is still a lot to do in Dakar. Last friday I recorded a tv show with DJ Sega for the tv station Walfa Djiri to promote our sensitization tour. The show will be broadcasted the 9th of May.
Saturday at midday I paricipated at the live tv show “Ca me dit Mag” at 2S TV moderated by Pape Ale Niang. The show is very popular and I could explain our aim to end female genital cutting in Senegal very proufndly to a wide public.

In the afternoon I had rehearsal with my band for the concert in Dakar, Ouakam the same night and after that I was invited at the radio station Top FM with DJ Lamaysene to promote again our tour.
More about our first concert in a new blog later on.

To the right you can see where our tour will lead us the next two weeks.

Tomorrow me and my Band will go to Senegal to start our next sensitization campaign called “Education sans Exicision – Tournée de Sensibilisation 2012″. The aim of the tour is to sensitize the people in the villages of Senegal for the harmful consequences of  female genital cutting. The means to get in contact with the people and to make them listen is our music. We will play seven concerts during a period of three weeks in different parts of Senegal. At the same time we will visit several schools to talk to the young generation, we will organize theaters presented by the students, we will meet with the woman and men of the villages to do workshops with them and we will show our movie “Sarabah”, which we have done during our last tour in 2010. The tour will be accompanied by the NGO’s Tostan and Orchid Project.

Every few days we will keep you up to date how our work is moving on here in my blog and we will keep you informed as well via facebook and twitter.

So I hope you all stay with us the next three weeks.

If your are interested in the subject of Female Genital Cutting please read this article. It explains very good the approach of the NGO Tostan and Sister Fa towards ending FGC.

A Moratorium on Mutilation: Community Organizations Find Their Own Path To Ending a Dangerous Practice

Today the 6th February we have the UN International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Cutting. At the moment I am in London to play a concert with my band and to work with Orchid Project to bring forward our work to end Female Genital Cutting. I had a radio interview with BBC today and there is also an article about the subject at the Guardian of today. I wrote myself also a blog at the Guardian.
We also went to the House of Commons where Orchid Project and me had to possiblity to speak.
So we had a busy day now finishing it with a concert with my band at Union Chapel Bar.

Link for the article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2012/feb/06/women-feminism?INTCMP=SRCH

Link for my blog:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/06/female-genital-cutting-africa-senegal?INTCMP=SRCH

Link for the BBC interview:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bldpq

In the beginning of January 2012 Sister Fa was in Senegal to bring forward her programme to promote the human rights for a peaceful, secure and strong Africa. During her stay she organised a day of reflection to find ways how to promote human rights by the means of music. Many local artists and from abroad (Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Gambia), as well as the NGO’s Tostan and Orchid Project and the TV channel Africa 7 participated at this day of reflection. The reunion was very informative. The main point on the agenda was the abandonment of Female Genital Cutting and the impact this practice has on the rights of woman and girls. In succession it was discussed which role the artists and the young generation could take in the sensitization work for the abandonment of this practice. This meeting was part of the preparations for the sensitization tour of Sister Fa & Band in April and May 2012 in Senegal.

At the moment I am in Senegal to push forward my work to sensitize the people for the harmful consequences of female genital cutting. Yesterday I met with the NGO Tostan and many artists to discuss how we can continue our work. We made a course of instruction on the subject of FGC for these artists because they will be part of a music compilation which will accompany our project, and of our sinsitization tour in late spring this year in Senegal. The get-together was very constructive and I have a lot of hope, that we can work very successful in this knew year to end FGC very soon with the means of music and respect.