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Growing up in Basse, he witnessed families making different choices about the practice. Some believed it was necessary to maintain culture and tradition, while others quietly rejected it.

“Those who supported it said it only involves removing a small part of the female reproductive system,” he said. At the time, he accepted those explanations without fully understanding the consequences many women and girls face after undergoing the practice.

His views began to change when debates surrounding FGM reached the National Assembly. Public discussions and awareness campaigns exposed him to information about the health risks and emotional trauma associated with the practice.

“Before that, I heard people say it was not good, but I did not believe it,” he admitted. “When it became a national discussion, I began to understand that it has harmful effects.”

Since then, Modou has used conversations at the market, within his family, and in his community to encourage people to abandon the practice.

From the Market Stalls to Community Advocacy: Modou Jaiteh Speaks Against FGM - SheTale Media Network At the busy Basse Market, where traders move from stall to stall, and customers bargain for daily necessities, young foodstuff vendor Modou Jaiteh spends his days serving people from different communities. Surrounded by bags of rice, onions, seasoning, and other household items, Modou is not only kn...

The busy sounds of traders bargaining and customers moving from stall to stall fill the air at Basse Market. Among the rows of fresh vegetables sits Jarri Bobo Camara, carefully arranging her produce while speaking passionately about an issue that has deeply affected women in her community for generations — female ge***al mutilation (FGM).

Born and raised in Basse, Jarri grew up believing FGM was a normal tradition every girl was expected to go through.

Speaking to this reporter in April 2026, Jarri said, “My personal understanding of FGM is that it is a tradition performed on girls.
Growing up in my community and in the society I lived in, FGM was viewed as something that should be practised on every female child.”
But as she grew older, Jarri began to question the practice and the suffering many women silently endured after undergoing it.

“I started questioning FGM when I heard people say that girls who go through the practice may experience marriage differently from girls who have not,” she explains. “That is where I saw the difference, especially among Wolof communities where many people do not practice FGM.”

At Basse Market, Jarri Bobo Camara Raises Her Voice Against FGM - SheTale Media Network The busy sounds of traders bargaining and customers moving from stall to stall fill the air at Basse Market. Among the rows of fresh vegetables sits Jarri Bobo Camara, carefully arranging her produce while speaking passionately about an issue that has deeply affected women in her community for gener...

For generations, conversations about marriage, women’s wellbeing, and female ge***al mutilation (FGM) were rarely discussed openly among men in Basse Manneh K***a. Many women suffered in silence while harmful traditions continued unquestioned. But through the emergence of the Fathers Club, some men in the community are beginning to challenge old beliefs and create space for dialogue inside their homes and within the wider village.

Among those leading this change is Bubacarr Malafi Sanyang, the Village Development Committee (VDC) chairman, who believes that lasting peace in families can only happen when husbands and wives communicate openly and respect each other’s voices. Inspired by discussions organised through the Fathers Club and community sensitisation programs, Sanyang says listening to women share their experiences with FGM changed his perspective on the practice.

When Men Begin to Listen: Fathers Club Sparks Change in Basse Manneh K***a - SheTale Media Network For generations, conversations about marriage, women’s wellbeing, and female ge***al mutilation (FGM) were rarely discussed openly among men in Basse Manneh K***a. Many women suffered in silence while harmful traditions continued unquestioned. But through the emergence of the Fathers Club, some me...

One of the most profound changes in Jatta’s life came through discussions around FGM.

He admitted that before joining the Fathers Club, he never questioned the practice because it had long been accepted as part of tradition. However, after attending community discussions and listening carefully to health experts and fellow community members, his perspective underwent a complete change.

“That meeting was the day I became convinced that FGM should stop,” he said.

“When people explained the harm it causes to women, I realised this is something we must address seriously,” Jatta emphasised that seeking medical help is proof that harm exists.

“If something does not harm you, you do not go looking for treatment,” he explained. “The amount of suffering women go through because of FGM is too much.”

From Tradition to Transformation: How Fathers Clubs Are Changing Minds in Basse Manneh K***a - SheTale Media Network In the quiet community of Basse Manneh K***a, conversations that were once considered impossible are now taking place openly among men and women, thanks to the growing influence of the Fathers Club. For Sainey Jatta, one of the club’s earliest members, joining the initiative became a turning point...

In the quiet communities of Basse Kabakama in eastern Gambia, conversations around women’s rights and harmful traditional practices have often remained behind closed doors. For many years, issues such as female ge***al mutilation (FGM) were considered women’s matters exclusively — topics men neither discussed openly nor questioned.
But for Saikouba Jarra, a member of the Fathers Club in Basse Kabakama, that silence is beginning to change.

Jarra joined the Fathers Club in 2025, inspired by the existence of mothers’ clubs across communities in The Gambia. To him, men also needed a platform where they could discuss family responsibilities, community challenges, and their role in protecting women and children.

“Change Cannot Happen Overnight”: How One Father’s Club Member is Challenging Harmful Traditions in Rural Gambia - SheTale Media Network In the quiet communities of Basse Kabakama in eastern Gambia, conversations around women’s rights and harmful traditional practices have often remained behind closed doors. For many years, issues such as female ge***al mutilation (FGM) were considered women’s matters exclusively — topics men n...