Nigerian filmmaker and actress Biodun Stephen has shared a deeply personal account of undergoing female circumcision at the age of six, calling the experience painful and unforgettable.
In an interview with Diaryofanaijagirl, Stephen revealed that the procedure was carried out by her grandmother, following a longstanding family tradition. She added that her mother had also undergone the practice.
Recalling the incident, Stephen said she was lured from her home under the pretext of an outing and made to feel comfortable before the procedure.
She recounted being asked to bathe and then lie on a mat prepared on the floor, where the circumcision was performed.
I remember it vividly the pain. As I’m talking to you, I can still see the picture. I was six. I didn’t know what was happening. I loved my grandma. She told me we were going somewhere. They let me play and eat. Then I saw a woman putting a mat and a bowl on the floor. They asked me to lie down. The pain was searing,” she said.
Stephen emphasized that the memory has remained with her decades later and discussed the long-term consequences of female circumcision, including its potential impact on sexual experience and the ability to achieve orgasm.
“It depends on how badly you’ve been cut. You’re not really able to enjoy sex or even experience orgasm,” she explained.
The award-winning filmmaker also spoke candidly about relationships, stating that while cheating is not necessarily a deal-breaker, it should carry consequences.
“Cheating is not a deal-breaker for me, and I also believe the simplest punishment to give any man who has cheated on you is to let him go. It’s too easy. It’s such easy stuff, man. Yes, because you see, you have to pay,” she said.
Stephen’s revelation adds to ongoing conversations in Nigeria and beyond about the physical and psychological effects of female circumcision, a practice widely condemned by health and women’s rights advocates.