RIPPLES: BY PRECIOUS DEDZO

Faiza woke up with her heart pounding like that of a stampede. The rings of sweat pouring down from her face where as hot as the burning coals at the blacksmith’s workshop. How could she have had such a terrible dream?

She never was a dreamer. Her friends usually laugh and make jests of her for that. Some wonder how a pretty girl or any other normal human being would not dream, “ like how? where have you ever heard that?”, Hawa would ask anytime she thinks about it. “Are you sure you are not part of the night flying gang?” Adiza would squeak. And here she is, the ‘madam zero’ dreamer having a nightmare, a terrible one as such.

Was it Mma Asana who once said bad dreams do come true? the thought of this made her feel like going back to sleep to reverse that horrible dream, why did she even wake up so soon? she should have ended the dream well herself. These hilarious thoughts ran through her mind. It is just a dream after all she soothed herself and went back to sleep, sleeping like nothing happened at all.

A small girl of fourteen years should not be having such bad dreams. These are the effects of playing too much at night , Mma Asana said the following morning when Faiza told her about the dream with a rebuking voice as if Faiza was the producer of the nightmare she had. As the “ I -don’t- care” type of girl that she was, she had long forgotten about that.

At age fourteen, someone would have thought Faiza was eighteen years, for she looked older, prettier and more intelligent for a person of her age.

Those sexy white eyes are the most charming thing about her and as a person from a typical Muslim home, she learnt better not to lose her pride or mess around with boys so as not bringing shame upon herself and her family, and that, she has done really well. There was no school in the village of Bariga, civilization was yet to show it’s features to that remote part of the Northern land.

The only school around was very far, boys and girls in the village help their parents on their farms, in trading and looking after their younger ones especially the girls. The people of Bariga were mostly Muslims. They hold their traditions very dear and one of such tradition was the cutting of the female child’s clitoris when she reaches puberty to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Well, they see it to be normal but those innocent girls, the trauma they go through and the excruciating pain they experience is far from been described.

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Faiza always wonder what becomes of them afterwards. She witnessed recently as one of her friends Fusena was taken away one hot afternoon by the “nirigus’ the older women responsible for the operation. Mr. Yakubu was the head master of the school in the other far away town but lived in Bariga and always treks to school or go by means of a donkey, he had tried persuading parents in Bariga to send their wards to school but all his pleas fell on deaf ears, even the chief Baba Seidu was unwilling to listen to him. He saw it as a waste of time.

Mr. Yakubu was vehemently against the cutting of the girls’ clitoris, he saw it to be inhumane and all his efforts to stop it proved futile. He had a special interest in Faiza because she was very intelligent and he sometimes teaches her in his house when she stops by on her way to the stream. He had hopes of her one-day going to school and the thought of that always excited her.

On this cool early morning, the villagers were awoken by screams and wailings, Faiza jolted up from bed, she knew instantly what those screaming meant. Yes, Bariga had lost another daughter yet again. It was Mma Danjuman’s daughter Ruweida who got married a year ago, she was heavily pregnant and was due to putting to bed probably yesterday. She died during the childbirth with the child. This is what saddens Mr. Yakubu the most and even Faiza.

Most of the women die during childbirth almost everyday due to complications emanating from the cutting of their clitoris yet they continue doing it and continue giving birth and continue dying. A merry go round experience of wallowing pains on innocent soul, very soon there would’t be a single woman left in this village, Faiza thought. The other day when Mr. Yakubu wanted to stop the women from cutting Fusena’s he was nearly lynched.

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Faiza was ten years old when her elder sister Jemima was circumcised. It was a cool Saturday morning when Razak’s kinsmen came with some good news, that is to pluck the beautiful flower Jemima from their compound. After all was said, a day was fixed for the marriage. Whether or not Jemima loved him was never their problem, theirs was to get their aging nineteen years daughter married. The whole village was filled with merrymaking, the Abdulai’s house was filled with so many people.

Finally a new bride would be taken to her matrimonial home today. There were cooking of different varieties of food here and there, fom tuo zafi to the grilling of kebab. There were also lots of singing. The bride who had been locked up in the room for some days was being dressed. Finally Razak took his flower home, a pure damsel. The festivity was over. Jemima had to learn to adapt in her new home especially as she was the second wife, she was even lucky, her cousin Memuna was the fifth.

Nine months flew by so quickly, Jemima was heavily loaded and was due. One afternoon, her water burst and she was quickly rushed to the midwife’s place, after several hours Jemima still could not bring forth her baby. The midwife and her colleagues tried all they can, Jemima was too weak to push. She had already lost lots of blood and the midwives knew she might not make it just like the others. Scared Faiza rushed to Mr. Yakubu her only option’s house, Mr. Yakubu rushed to the midwife’s place but he was too late, Jemima was long gone.

Faiza felt her world crushing down. Her only big sister, her best friend whom she loved so much, the one whom she would quarrel with and laugh together with, was gone. There was nothing Mr. Yakubu could do, he sadly with tear filled eyes dragged himself home. Mma Asana lost consciousness and had to be taken to the herbalist.

Soon, Jemima’s body was put to rest, Faiza had never been the same again.
And here she was with bloodstained hands thinking about her own ordeal. She was wondering if she should inform her mother or not.

After experiencing her menarche, she has to perform some rituals and without her mother it can not be performed.

Mma Asana took critical look at her daughter who has now become a woman, she helped her clean herself, perform the rituals and gave her some motherly advice.

Mma Asana was scared of having her only surviving daughter circumcised not after what happened to Jemima. But, what if she develops those adolescent feelings and eventually get pregnant out of wedlock, she would be shamed for not performing her motherly roles well and the family’s image would be tarnished. In the evening, Mma Asana gathered the courage and went to inform the nirigus about her daughter’s new development. A time was fixed to perform the circumcision.

Faiza early in the morning on her way to the stream passed by Mr. Yakubu’s house and informed him about the issue. Mr. Yakubu could see the fear in the young girl’s eyes.

Those beautiful eyes reminded him of his young daughter in the South who probably may be the same age as Faiza. He assured her that everything will be fine, he would do all he can to stop it. Faiza put all her trust and hope on Mr. Yakubu and that gave her a form of relief but as the day was approaching, she began to feel nervous.

The night before the “D day,” Hawa, Faiza’s closest friend and one who also was strongly against female genital circumcision was with her throughout trying to console her. She assured her that Mr. Yakubu would not faimorning

Faiza was woken up with loud voices, she cleaned her face and realized Hawa was not in the room. She wore her dress and went out to check what was going on. She saw Hawa, and some other group of girls exchanging hot words with the nirigus, her father and the elderly people.

She stood by the doorway wondering why Mr. Yakubu had not showed up yet, or had he failed to keep to his promise? Tears swelled up in her eyes. As the women approached her, she heard Hawa shout “Run”, without tracing where the voice was coming from, Faiza took to her heels. She ran without looking back.

Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted from the earth on which she was running. The strong men that came with the nirigus ran after her and caught her. Their arms firmly holding her that she could not move an inch.

She saw the helpless look on her friends’ faces, she knew all hope was lost. She was sent to the thatch bathroom where the circumcision was to take place. There she laid on the plantain leaves unclad waiting for the worst to happen.

The women came in with their razors. The eldest who was in charge of the cutting ordered the rest to hold her tightly, she was held firmly to the ground. When she saw the razor coming towards her, she started crying and shouting.

Mr. Yakubu had gone to the regional capital to report the case at the social protection agency, they had taken keen interest in it and offered to help.

They accompanied him with some policemen and government officials. Hawa upon sighting them rushed to Mr. Yakubu and fell on him crying when they entered the compound, she could not utter a word, Mr. Yakubu rushed to the bathroom along with the people with him and there laid the unconscious Faiza bleeding. The nirigus and the other elderly people were arrested.

Faiza woke up in a strange room with something like needle fixed to her wrist. Mr. Yakubu was beside her bed with his face sullen as though he had cried for hours. He rushed to her when he realized she was awake. “ I’m so sorry dear, I could not make it on time, the people involved have been arrested, please forgive me my daughter”. Faiza only gave a slight smile and went back to sleep.

For the rest few months, Faiza had to battle with infection and depression. She stayed with one of the social workers, Mrs. Oduro with her friend Hawa. Hawa had been of great help to her, she had been a sister and a therapist ,gradually, she came returned back to normalcy.

Her mother usually came to visit them and brought with her lots of goodies. Faiza at first was reluctant to forgive her parents but she did eventually. She was enrolled in school with her friends.

And here she is looking at her just turned fourteen years daughter who was busily dressing her younger brother. The day brought back her own sad memories. She thanked Allah for the introduction of technology, she could not deliver her babies naturally, she had to go through the blade, twice.

She was also grateful for such a loving husband who understands her very well, he understands his wife does not have any libido and as such does not put pressure on her or have extra marital affairs with other women.

He never even had the thought of having a second wife. Even though he wanted more children, he knew his wife’s condition would not allow for such.

Hawa was lucky she was not circumcised because her menarche came months after Faiza’s incident.
She’s happily married with four beautiful children, all of them residing in the South.

“Mom, why are you crying?”, Faiza’s daughter Amina asked her. Faiza cleaned the little drops of tears that dropped unknowingly on her face. “ it’s nothing sweetheart, I’m just happy you are now matured to look after Rashid, I’m proud of you baby”, just then a knock sounded on the door, came through the doorway, the children ran to hug their aunt whom they have not seen for awhile.

The two grown ladies shared a warm embrace. They started talking about lots of things and giggling whilst they made their way into the hall, they have a lot to talk about.

These two women, Mr. Yakubu and the government had embark on a fight to end the horrible female genital circumcision, they have been successful though there are some remote villages in the north that still secretly practice it, they have vowed to bring it down to a total zero and they will not relent until they have accomplished their aim.

Now, they are happy to live in a peaceful world free from insecurity and fear, with a beautiful family and friends, what else could be better than this.

THE END.

RIPPLES: STORY BY PRECIOUS DEDZO