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Pathetic stories of women who underwent Female Genital Mutilation
Many women in the north are victims of FGM
Ms Aisha Yakubu, 20, from Pusiga in the Upper East Region of Ghana is among 125 million young women in the world who have permanent scars on their bodies to show after surviving female genital mutilation.
According to Aisha, she was circumcised when she was nine years old although she was told by her mother in advance it would happen to her.
“The circumcision was performed in an elderly woman’s house which few girls of my age were gathered in a form of ceremony,” she said.
The activity looked like an annual festival, where some elderly women were dancing and singing traditional songs. Then, one by one, they began to perform the circumcision.
“The pain was unbearable after several days where I have to remain indoor to be given some herbal medications to heal the wound as well as to relieve me of the pains,” she added.
Female Genital Mutilation, popularly known as Female Circumcision is the partial or complete removal of external female genitalia.
Today, female circumcision is illegal, but the procedure continues to be conducted secretly in some rural communities in Northern Ghana.
Another victim, Charity (not real name), was only nine years old when she also underwent female genital mutilation (FGM) in a village near Pusiga.
According to her, she went into the process willingly believing that was her initiation into adulthood.
Narrating her story to The Spectator, she said she bled for a long time, and this scared other girls ready to undergo FGM then.
Victoria Yakubu, a Community Health Nurse who lives in Tamale, also shared her story of stigmatisation when her friends heard she was a victim of FGM.
“I felt very lonely and unwanted when the people around me knew I had no feeling when making love, it psychologically affected me. But as time went on, I mustered courage to feel who I am,” she added.
Now as a mother of two and an advocate against FGM, she urged the youth, community elders, traditional, religious leaders and parents to make sure innocent girls are not cut mercilessly because of traditional belief.
Mr. Francis Azienko from Pusiga said, “the circumcision is considered part of a cultural tradition performed to preserve young girls’ virginity and prevent pre and extra marital sex, early pregnancy as well as sexual transmitted diseases.
“Though the practice brought pain and scars to the innocent girls, I believe it also helped them to remain faithful,” he said.
Mr, Azienko said, though the procedure had been banned, it was carried out secretly in some communities in the Upper East Region.
From Geoffrey Buta, Pusiga.
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Manhyia would serve as Ghana’s unifying force …Otumfuo assures on commemoration of 27 years on the Golden Stool
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, last Friday celebrated his 27th enstoolment with a colourful and culture-rich ceremony at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, drawing a distinguished gathering of dignitaries from across Ghana and beyond.
Clad in splendid kente and adorned in rich traditional regalia, the dignitaries added colour and elegance to the occasion, as the palace grounds came alive with a vibrant display of Ghanaian culture.
Traditional drumming, dancing and symbolic rites underscored the deep-rooted heritage of the Ashanti Kingdom, captivating guests and reaffirming the value of tradition in modern society.
Speaking at a high-level Executive Gala organised by the Diaspora Affairs Office of the Office of the President in strategic partnership with the E ON 3 Group, the ‘World-Meets-in-Ghana’ gala, the Asantehene urged Ghanaians to guard against the divisive tendencies of partisan politics.
The event was to honour the Asantehene’s nearly three-decade reign under the theme ‘Advancing Peace and Sustainable Economic Development through Royal Vision’.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II noted that such attitudes threatened the country’s long-standing values of unity, civility and brotherliness.
He assured that Manhyia would continue to serve as a unifying force for the nation.
The celebration also featured the presentation of commemorative gold coins to notable national leaders, including the President, John Dramani Mahama, former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as well as Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a former Vice President in recognition of their contributions to peace and national development.
By Spectator Reporter
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Energy Minister announces full restoration of power generation units after major grid disruption
Energy Minister, John Jinapor has announced that all power generation units affected by the recent national grid disruption have been fully restored and are back in service.
According to the Minister on social media, engineers, technicians and emergency response teams worked continuously to restore electricity supply and stabilise the national grid after the incident caused major challenges within the power sector.
In a statement, the Minister praised the efforts of personnel from the Ghana Grid Company Limited, Volta River Authority and Electricity Company of Ghana for their commitment and coordination during the emergency.
“Mission accomplished. All generation units are now back in service,” the Minister stated.
He explained that despite the scale of the disruption, technical teams worked around the clock to restore power and secure stability within the system.
“Through their tireless work, discipline, and commitment to country, power has been restored and system stability secured,” he said.
The Minister further expressed appreciation to the leadership and staff of GRIDCo, VRA, ECG and other supporting agencies for their collective response to the crisis.
According to him, the successful restoration of the system demonstrates the resilience and capability of Ghanaian professionals in times of national difficulty.
“This moment shows that even under pressure, Ghana can rely on the strength and skill of its people,” he added.
The Minister offered prayers for the country’s energy sector and the engineers who led the restoration efforts.
“May God bless our engineers, our energy sector, and our nation,” he stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
