Boloko (Circumcision) — Fatoumata Diawara
Born in Cote D’Ivoire to Malian parents, at 32 years old, Fatoumata Diawara is a force of nature. She escaped a restrictive environment in her family and at 20 years of age she moved to Paris to pursue a career in music and theatre. Although she was in Mali for a short while, she claims to have lived a Malian life, their family spoke the Malian lingua franca, Bambara, and Wandalou dialects. Her family kept the Malian traditions of traditional music and dancing very much alive, keeping Diawara close to her roots. Being very attached to Mali, Diawara sings in her native language Bambara about current issues in the country: war, female genital mutilation, poverty and women’s rights.
For many girls in Mali she is an inspiration, a woman who has had the courage to stand up to her conservative parents but still kept her roots well established, and an enormous love for Mali. She often reflects on what her life would be if she had not moved, and once reflecting on this, she said she would probably have been married to her cousin at 15 and would be a mother of 9 had she stayed.
The music, which Diawara often writes, is a mix of Wandalou traditional sounds from Southern Mali and international influence, accompanied by her sweet yet firm voice. They almost always evoke a sense of openness and movement. And maybe they are meant to reflect the singer’s life, throughout which she moved from one place to another First, she was sent to live with her aunt at the age of nine in Bamako, where she became a child actor and starred in a film about a young girl who defies tradition. Later, against her parent’s wishes, she fled Bamako in the middle of the night to join the theatre company Royale de Luxe in Paris. She continues to travel for her work in the musical business
Because her lyrics in Bambara are incomprehensible for most of our readers, it is all the more important to be able to understand the deeper meaning of her music , and keep in mind that these lyrics, as well as Diawara’s story, have a huge impact on young girls and women in Mali. Boloko, meaning circumcision, is the second to last song of Diawara’s debut album Fatou, released in 2011. With an apparent delicacy- the music is soft and steady- the song discusses and condemns one of the most horrible traditions still practiced in Mali: female genital mutilation (FGM). The World Health Organization defines FGM as comprising all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice is usually done by a traditional circumciser, and it can result in infections, cysts or complications at child birth. This is a cultural practice that is deeply embedded in erroneous beliefs and traditions. In Mali, it is estimated that 91% of women between the age of 15 and 49 have undergone FGM. This is a painful procedure which disables future sexual pleasures as well as having a strong physiological effect on the women who are circumcised.
“Dont cut the flower that makes me a woman”
FGM is a practice that can be stopped through policies just as much as with cultural change of mindset and awareness raising, and it is influential people like Diawara that can speed this process up. She represents for many girls in Mali an example that it is possible to defy tradition and continue your life remaining faithful to your culture and roots, can really have an impact through her lyrics. Her aim is to change things through music, in an interview with the Independent she said:
“In Mali, my generation looks at me, at every action I do. I’m like a little example for them, for women. When I’m in Bamako, many girls come to me and say they’re very happy for everything I’m doing. I can tell them what I want through my music.”
When translated, the simple lyrics of Boloko carry a strong message and a fearless and bold condemnation towards those that keep the practice going, juxtaposing with the delicate melody that accompanies them. Though she condemns certain traditions, she is a proud Malian and African, letting this transpire in everything from her clothes and her confident attitude. A self-taught guitarist and songwriter, she has found a unique voice in her music that is a tool for strength and hope for many.
They cut the flower that made me a woman
Dont cut the flower that makes me a woman
If you circumcise girls you will make their intimate moments difficult
They will always have health problems
If you circumcise girls you will make their intimate moments difficult
They will always have health problems
“I beg you mother, don’t let them circumcise me, it hurts so much”
“I beg you father, don’t let them circumcise me, it hurts so much”
They cut it…..Mother, stop female circumcision
Mother it hurts so much (x4)
If you circumcise girls you will make their intimate moments difficult
They will always have problems with childbirth, they will always have health problems
Don’t Circumcise girls
African women live through too much hell and suffering
We should look again at our ancestral beliefs and assess them
Keep whats good for us, and reject all that harms us us
African women live through too much hell and abuse (x2)
They cut it…Stop female circumcision!
Mother, it hurts so much
It hurts so much
