Efua Dorkenoo
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Efua Dorkenoo, OBE (6 September 1949 – 18 October 2014), affectionately known as "Mama Efua","Obituaries: Efua Dorkenoo"
''The Times'', 29 October 2014.
was a
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
ian-British campaigner against
female genital mutilation 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 ...
(FGM) who pioneered the global movement to end the practiceAlexandra Topping
"Efua Dorkenoo OBE, the ‘incredible African female warrior’, has died"
''The Guardian'', 20 October 2014.
and worked internationally for more than 30 years to see the campaign "move from a problem lacking in recognition to a key issue for governments around the world."


Early years

She was born in
Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...
,
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, where she attended
Wesley Girls' High School Wesley Girls' High School (WGHS) is an educational institution for girls in Cape Coast in the Central region of Ghana. It was founded in 1836 by Harriet Wrigley, the wife of a Methodist minister. The school is named after the founder of Methodis ...
. She moved to London at the age of 19 to study nursing, and eventually earned a master's degree at the
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The inst ...
and a research fellowship at
City University London City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...
.Jane Kramer
"Postscript: Efua Dorkenoo, 1949-2014"
''The New Yorker'', 23 October 2014.
She was a staff nurse at various hospitals, including the Royal Free, and it was while training as a midwife that she became aware of the impact of FGM on women's lives.


Campaigning work

She joined the
Minority Rights Group Minority Rights Group International (MRG) is an international human rights organisation founded with the objective of working to secure rights for ethnic, national, religious, linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples around the world. Their ...
and travelled to various parts of Africa to gather information for what was one of the earliest reports published on FGM in 1980. In 1983 she founded the
Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development The Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development (FORWARD) is a British NGO, founded in 1983 by Efua Dorkenoo, that supports women who have experienced female genital mutilation (FGM) and tries to eliminate the practice. History FORWARD ...
(FORWARD), a British NGO that supports women who have experienced FGM and tries to eliminate the practice."About Us"
FORWARD.
"Efua Dorkenoo"
, Equality Now.
She began working with the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
(WHO) in 1995 and was the acting director for women’s health there until 2001.Douglas Martin
"Efua Dorkenoo, Who Campaigned Against Genital Cutting, Dies at 65"
''The New York Times'', 27 october 2014.
She was Advocacy Director and, subsequently, Senior FGM Advisor for
Equality Now Equality Now is a non-governmental organization founded in 1992 to advocate for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls. Through a combination of regional partnerships, community mobilization and legal advocacy the or ...
(an international human rights organization). She was close friends with
Alice Walker Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which she was aw ...
, advising on and featured in the documentary film ''Warrior Marks'' (1993) made by Walker and
Pratibha Parmar Pratibha Parmar is a British writer and filmmaker. She has made feminist documentaries such as '' Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth'' and '' My Name is Andrea'' about Andrea Dworkin. Early life Parmar was born in Nairobi, Kenya to Indian parents and ...
and with
Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in ...
, who wrote an introduction to Dorkenoo's 1994 book ''Cutting the Rose: Female Genital Mutilation''.


Honours and recognition

In 1994, Dorkenoo was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
. In 2000, she and Gloria Steinem received
Equality Now Equality Now is a non-governmental organization founded in 1992 to advocate for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls. Through a combination of regional partnerships, community mobilization and legal advocacy the or ...
's international human rights award. In 2012, she was made honorary
senior research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for Academic rank, academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the super ...
in the School of Health Sciences at
City University London City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...
, and in 2013 she was named one of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's 100 Women. Dorkenoo's ''Cutting the Rose: Female Genital Mutilation'' (1994) was selected by an international jury in 2002 as one of the "Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century".
Leyla Hussein Leyla Hussein ( so, Leyla Xuseen) is a Somali-born British psychotherapist and social activist. She is the founder of Dahlia project,"'FGM is violence, child abuse and sexual assault' – Leyla Hussein",''The London Economic'', 8 September 201 ...

"Efua Dorkenoo obituary"
''The Guardian'', 22 October 2014.
Dorkenoo died of
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
in London at the age of 65 on 18 October 2014, survived by her husband Freddie Green, her sons Kobina and Ebow, and her stepchildren.


Selected publications

* ''Cutting The Rose: Female Genital Mutilation the Practice and its Prevention'' (Minority Rights Group, 1994). * ''Report of the First Study Conference of Genital Mutilation of Girls in Europe/ Western World'' (1993) * ''Child Protection and Female Genital Mutilation: Advice for Health, Education, and Social Work Profession'' (1992) * ''Female Genital Mutilation: Proposals for Change'' (with Scilla Elworthy) (1992) * ''Tradition! Tradition: A symbolic story on female genital mutilation'' (1992) * As Stella Efua Graham with Scilla McLean (eds), ''Female Circumcision, Excision, and Infibulation'' (Minority Rights Group Report 47, 1980)


References


External links


Equality Now home pageFORWARD home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorkenoo, Efua 1949 births 2014 deaths Activists against female genital mutilation Ghanaian feminists Ghanaian emigrants to England Ghanaian health activists Officers of the Order of the British Empire Ghanaian women's rights activists BBC 100 Women Deaths from cancer in England People from Cape Coast