“I have always been considered rebellious and stubborn” - Musu Bakoto Sawo (The Gambia) - 1/5

Musu Bakoto Sawo is a lawyer and human rights defender from The Gambia. From a very early age, Musu has actively engaged in human rights promotion advocating for the rights of children in The Gambia and elsewhere. 

In this interview, we explore her definitions of girlhood and adolescence, as well as the key events that marked this period of her life. We also discuss her family and the people who influenced her (Part 2); her experience with Female Genital Mutilation and child marriage (Part 3); her definition and experience of resistance (Part 4); as well as her work to protect girls and women today (Part 5).

Musu was first interviewed by Françoise Moudouthe in late 2019, as part of the global project documenting girls’ resistance. The conversation has been edited into this five-part interview by Jama Jack, for our #GirlsResistWA series. You can find out more about the series here.

Trigger Warning: This conversation contains mentions of violence and abuse which may be triggering for readers. Kindly take a moment to decide if you want to keep reading. If you do proceed, we encourage you to centre your wellbeing and stop reading at any point, as you need.

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Hello Musu, thank you so much for agreeing to talk to me about who you were as a girl, and how you resisted the status quo then. Let’s start with numbers: When you think about your girlhood, what age bracket are you thinking of? 

When I'm talking about my girlhood, I refer to the times when I had the most vivid memories of events that had happened in my life. This would be from primary school when I was about seven years old, up to when I left high school at the age of seventeen. 

Let’s explore those two periods. Did something happen when you were seven that was so significant that it marked the beginning of your girlhood?

Well, when I was about six years old, my family told me that I was going to visit my maternal grandmother. She had passed away long before that, however - I think she passed away when my dad was about one year-old. So it was obvious that they were lying to me, and I wasn’t going to see my grandmother. But I was still excited because it would be the first time that I would see any of my grandparents. I remember going on a bus with one of my aunts, and it would also be my first experience of going to the village and meeting other extended family members. When we got to the village, I was well taken care of. 

Then one day, at around 4:00 a.m., I was woken up and told that I was going to visit the spiritual leader. I didn't quite understand what that meant. I remember being given a thin wrapper that they had put in cold water and wrapped around my body. Then I had to run until we got into the bush. I never knew what it would be until it started. This was when I was mutilated. So, I remember that. 

When we were growing up, we were told that girls who haven't gone through FGM are unclean.

I’m sorry you had to experience this. How did you feel after it happened?

Usually, after the mutilation process, they would have a big ceremony where people would wear their traditional costumes, and girls would wear some traditional clothes for a very long time. This is to show that these girls have gone through Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and that they are clean now. When we were growing up, we were told that girls who haven't gone through FGM are unclean. There are some ethnic groups that don't practice FGM at all, and we were told that we're better than them because we are clean. 

However, I didn't complete all the rituals because my father wanted me back home - unlike my cousins who stayed the whole time. When my cousins came back, I remember I was very sad and was crying a lot. I felt that I was incomplete because I didn't complete the whole initiation process. I remember going to school with my amulets around my neck, walking around like I am better than all the other children who didn't go through that process. I vividly remember that.

Can you tell me a bit about what kind of girl you were?  

I was the girl who asked too many questions. When I was told "you can’t do this because it's not good”, I would always ask why it isn’t good. I was usually not satisfied by the fact that people would just tell me that it is not okay to do something. 

I remember when I was in primary school, a boy hit me on my lap, and I slapped him. I was reported to the teacher who asked why I slapped him, especially since he was stronger than me because he was a boy. The issue got to the Headmistress, and I explained that he had touched me in an uncomfortable place. I felt that this was my body, and I couldn’t have anybody touch me without my consent. The Headmistress listened to me and said I was a fighter. But at that point, it wasn’t about being a fighter. It was just me doing the right thing because I felt that if he violated me in that manner, I should also retaliate.

So, I have always been considered rebellious and stubborn. I was questioning things and demanding for justice wherever I saw that something was unfair, even amongst my siblings. Sometimes people think it's rude, but it's not. It's just me being upfront and clear about the views and opinions that I have in relation to certain things, especially the ones that affect me. I call this having a strong personality. This is who I was growing up, and I believe I still have that strong personality. 

I can tell that you do! You mentioned that your girlhood ended when you were 17. Is there a particular reason for that as well? 

Seventeen, because when you talk about the legal definition of a child, it's a person below the age of eighteen. I felt that once I clocked eighteen, I wasn't a child anymore. I was considered an adult, and the decisions that are made will not be made on my behalf. Even if they were, I would be regarded as someone who has consented to them. But at seventeen, whatever decisions I took or might have been taken on my behalf, would be considered as non-consensual because I didn’t have the legal capacity to give consent.

Our conversation with Musu continues in the next part, where we discuss her experience with FGM and child marriage and the people who influenced her as a girl. Click here to read Part 2 of our conversation.