By Editor Drealomalicha Emmanuella
Veteran Nigerian actress Victoria Inyama has sparked renewed conversation around female genital mutilation (FGM) after describing her childhood experience of undergoing the practice, which she says she views positively.
Speaking during a live Instagram session with media personality Daddy Freeze, Inyama revealed that she grew up in a rural setting under the care of her grandmother, where she underwent female circumcision at a very young age.
According to her, the procedure took place when she was about five or six years old, and she recalled losing consciousness due to the pain involved.
“Yes, I was “circumcised” because I grew up in the village with my grandmother. That is the best thing they did for me. I swear to God because if I say I am not going to have sex, I will not and that is the power I have as a woman,” she said.
She went on to suggest that, in her personal view, the experience contributed to her sense of self-control and helped her avoid what she described as promiscuous behaviour.
When asked whether she would allow her own daughter to undergo the same practice, Inyama said she would not make such a decision alone, adding that it would be left to the child’s father.
Female genital mutilation is widely condemned by international health and human rights organisations, including the World Health Organization, due to its severe physical and psychological risks, and its violation of the rights of girls and women.
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