BTH thinks not. The practice of female genital mutilation (F.G.M) is neither Christian nor Muslim. “He that is eight days old among you shall be circumcised; every male throughout your generations, whether born in your homes, house or bought with your money, shall be circumcised”.  Genesis 17:12. Nowhere in the Bible or Koran is the practice of female circumcision mentioned. It is therefore a practice invented by primitives to satisfy their rustic desires.

The Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP) is working for the total abandonment of the practices. In an engagement with parliament the Programs Manager of FAHP. Ishmael Cole spoke about programme implementation and how FAHP is working to end all forms of harmful traditional practices in Sierra Leone. He went on to say that Sierra Leone, former Athens of West Africa is now one of the highest FGM practitioners in the world. The former Secretary, Madam Aninata Koroma said the Forum has already had engagements with religious leaders, chiefs, soweis, parents and stakeholders in government.

Madam Koroma also spoke of the ongoing cases which are related to FGM and the deaths related to the practices. She urged law makers to embrace the advocacy for the well-being of all Sierra Leoneans.

In his Town Hall address President Bio seemed to be ambivalent on the issue. He said the abandonment of FGM should only be limited to girls under 18. It simply means that a girl who is one day older than 18 can be captured and cut by the soweis ruining her career for life. It appears that in his heart of hearts he is not in favour of the elimination. With his powerful position, his stance is going to be an impediment to the total elimination of the FGM practice. It is unfortunate.

LOSS OF SOCIAL CULTURE

While primitive citizens are busy inventing backward practices like F.G.M. we are ineluctably losing our social culture which we are replacing with the white man’s culture. Thanks be to God that someone thought of the idea of museum otherwise we should not have been knowing much about how our forefathers and mothers lived. However the loss is not referable in many instances because the white man’s culture gives us a more comfortable standard of living.

The Pan Lamp

            Before the invention of the Chinese with their superabundant gadgets the Pan Lamp was very useful. It was used by members of our earlier generations to study and some of them are professors today. Ask them. It was fueled by kerosene but kerosene is of little use these days, perhaps for kerosene stoves. Bye-bye Pan Lamp.

Bamboo

Most of the houses in the villages in the past 50 years or so were covered by either bamboo or grass. Most of the present day elite lived in those houses before they started sleeping under zinc roofs in the towns. Bamboo was also used as umbrellas and it was cheap compared with present day’s umbrellas going for more than Le100.

Country Pot

That was our refrigerator. It cooled the drinking water, not too cold or hot but just right for drinking. It was not ice-cold as we have these days from our refrigerators and energy efficient freezers. Your thirst was immediately quenched. Where are these pots now?  Does anyone need them? Now you use packet water some of which taste or smell. Not so with the ancient country pot now despised. BTH uses the country pot. Why not you?

SUBVENTION TO SLAT

This subvention started when I.B. Kargbo was President of SLAJ and he had a good rapport with late President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. Some myopic journalists are raising the question that it would compromise the position of SLAJ.

If those journalists were educated enough they would know that opposition members of parliament are paid by government which does not stop them from criticizing government. Constructive criticism should be fact-based. Otherwise it is destructive. Lonta.

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It is dangerous not to be reading BTH regularly. Avoid misinterpretation. Published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday all things being equal.