Storytellers II

 

The Glory of Love

Give a little, take a little
And let your little heart just cry a little
That's the story of
That's the glory of love

And those who tell stories are spreading that love.

Fatou Wurie told a story from her life on the March 8^th podcast of the Moth.  Her Aunt was correct. She was not Bondo.  She does not have the cutting, Female Genetic Mutilation (FGM), that is the mark of Bondo and thus could not participate in her Grandmother’s Bondo funeral preparations.  But her Grandmother, who would not let her be marked as Bondo, was more correct.  She is a member of a bigger society, the world, and the mark of Bondo should not define her.  Any permanent marking, whether it is a gang tattoo, or FGM, does not give the individual the ability to leave that society.  The fact that Bondo FGM  is  done on young girls who did not, could not, make a lifetime choice, is so sad.

A person’s membership in a society is not, can not, be permanent. Life is change.  Saul famously became St. Paul on the road to Damascus.  A person should be judged by the content of their character, not by a permanent marking such as the color of their skin, which is a permanent marking that is inborn,  or a gang tattoo, or FGM, which is a permanent marking that is chosen by, or for, them.

Griots, storytellers, need listeners.  Thanks to Ms. Wurie for being a Griot.  I know that she has listeners in the Moth community, but she has definitely impressed this listener.