Sunday, January 14, 2007

Help End FGM - Download These Songs

Calabash Music, in association with afropop.org, has created a new, music-driven campaign to stop Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Mali. The campaign, called Stop Excision, is supported by online downloads of AfroPop tunes from the Calabash online music store. 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to Stop Excision, a Non-Governmental Organiztion (NGO) - what we call a non-profit - that is dedicated to erradicating this brutal custom. Let's be clear: FGM, though often performed by female family members on their own kin, is a brutal and primitive form of male domination. After all, the principal is simple: reduce female pleasure potential so your woman won't roam if she's not satisfied. Uh huh. And if you're not clear on the procedure, it is focused on the clitoris.

Twelve artists, twelve songs. Simple and direct with titles like: "Leave the Girls Alone." And lyrics like: "Let's not do it." This effort has taken commitment and courage on the part of the artists and the producers. FGM is a long-practiced custom. Breaking with the past is always hard, even when it doesn't involve female empowerment. Add that dimension, and a challenge becomes an epic struggle. Just ask Saudi women about that.

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