A Personal Journey: Breaking the Silence on FGM
By Isatou Jallow In my film “Behind The Wall,” I’ve chosen to share my deeply personal experience with Type 3 Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Through this storytelling, my aim is threefold. First, I want to educate. FGM, deeply rooted in tradition, often goes unquestioned. By unveiling the raw pain and suffering I endured, I hope […]
Breaking the Cycle: A Journey in Women’s Health and FGM/C Awareness
By Aries Nuño In participating in Sahiyo’s Voices to End FGM/C digital storytelling workshop, I chose to share a story that examined my journey toward understanding women’s health. This journey was not just a personal quest, but a response to a disquieting cultural reality: the pervasive silence among generations of women about their own bodies. […]
Bearing Tradition: Navigating the Pressure of Khatna
By Faizneen Bharmal Growing up in a progressive and well-educated Dawoodi Bohra family, the topic of Khatna, commonly known as female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) around the world, was always shrouded in silence. The subject was rarely broached unless one became a parent, at which point it became relevant. For the majority of my life, I […]
You mean it’s not supposed to hurt when I pee?
Why did you want to attend the workshop and share your story? I wanted to attend this workshop because I wanted to get a sense of the process of storytelling from a survivor’s and advocate’s perspective. I am keeping in my heart hundreds of stories that survivors from my community have shared with me. What story […]
I Didn’t Dare Ask
Why did you want to attend the workshop and share your story? I attended the workshop to learn about digital storytelling as another medium of communication in my advocacy work to stop female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). What story did you choose to tell and create into a digital story? I shared the story of the […]
Reflecting on Sahiyo’s Voices Healing Circle
On December 18th, Sahiyo hosted a Voices Healing Circle where participants from across workshop cohorts came together to reconnect and meet new members of the Voices network. These sessions are part of Sahiyo’s ongoing support events for Voices alumni, serving to create a space for sharing experiences, fostering camaraderie, navigating the challenges, and celebrating the […]
2024 begins with team transitions at Sahiyo
As we settle into 2024, the Sahiyo family is excited to welcome Sheena Vasani as our new Editorial Coordinator. Sheena, a strong believer in the power of the written world to enact social change and heal, has gone viral multiple times for her work on South Asian women’s rights and mental health issues. Rachel Wine, […]