Keur Simbara on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Keur Simbara is a small village in the
UNICEF/Tostan Tostan
The village is known internationally because of the efforts of its village chief
Keur Simbara is 70 km from
Thiès Region
Thiès is a region of western Senegal. The capital is also called Thiès.
Geography
Thiès has two coastlines, one in the north with the Grande Côte housing the Niayes vegetable market, one to the south with the Petite Côte, one of the tourist ...
in Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤠(Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤠ðž ...
.The village is on the eastern side of the country 70 km from the capital Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...
UNICEF/Tostan Tostan
The village is known internationally because of the efforts of its village chief
Demba Diawara
Demba Diawara (born c. 1931) is an imam and village leader of Keur Simbara in Senegal. He is known for his leadership in encouraging village communities to abandon the tradition of female genital cutting. He knew of the first declarations at the S ...
. He persuaded a group of villages to co-operate to renounce Female Genital Cutting
Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...
. Diawara believed that in order for Keur Simbara to renounce FGM then he would need to persuade the villages wider social network. This was achieved. Keur Simbara, a small village, has received Ministers from other countries.
Description
Keur Simbara is 70 km from Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...
the capital of Senegal.
The small Bambara village of Keur Simbara came to international community because of the change that the community has achieved. The village leader Demba Diawara
Demba Diawara (born c. 1931) is an imam and village leader of Keur Simbara in Senegal. He is known for his leadership in encouraging village communities to abandon the tradition of female genital cutting. He knew of the first declarations at the S ...
led the village to renounce Female Genital Cutting
Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...
. The village was aware that another village had publicly committed to abandon female circumcision but they feared that other villagers would refuse to marry their girls they considered the uncut girls to be "unclean". Diawara spent months persuading other villages to join Keur Simbara and this led to a combined announcement at Diabougou. Keur Simbara has received Ministers from other countries and its representatives were praised by their own President and Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
.
Women in the village have reported other cultural changes. In the past women were afraid to speak publicly and they would avoid men having meetings. The village reports increased school attendance and birth registration as well as increased vaccination rates.
References
External links
{{coord missing, Senegal Populated places in Thiès Region