Khady at Harvard, reading at the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute with Tobe Levin, November 10, 2010
KHADY in the USA – at the University of Southern California, in New York City with No Peace Without Justice and at the University of Cincinnati
Khady’s first stop is L.A.
Invited by Bocoum Moussa, a filmmaker, USC doctoral candidate and founder of Yellitaare/African Empowerment, Khady will participate in a pioneering international conference October 26-28, 2011, linking the academy to activism whose aim is to “Eradicate Forced and Early Marriages.” In her memoir, Khady reveals that she not only suffered from FGM but also from a nuptial experience at age 14 so violent and painful that she lost consciousness and for four hours “was absent from [her] life.” In general, when girls are cut, school ends for them shortly thereafter and they are married off, as Khady was. A link between FGM and forced, early marriage – in Khady’s case, marital rape — is therefore clear.
“The main goal of the … conference is to develop international exchanges and collaborations between its participants – government institutions, policymakers and legislators, NGO representatives, journalists and other individuals working in the media, victims, health specialists, practitioners, African First Ladies, and academic researchers.”
Khady’s next stop will be New York City to renew her work with No Peace Without Justice, lobbying the U.N. for a General Assembly Worldwide Ban on FGM.
Finally, at the University of Cincinnati, November 2, 2011, in French Hall 4616, 12:30pm – 2:00pm she will talk about her experiences at the Yellitaare conference, read from Blood Stains, and help listeners to find their role in the international movement against female genital mutilation. Further information from Professor Adrian Paar, Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies parran@ucmail.uc.edu
See http://www.yellitaare.org/YELLITAARE-conference-events.php
You will find the following nder SPECIAL GUESTS
Ms. Khady Koita – Author of Mutilée/Blood Stains, Founder of Euronet-FGM, Co-Founder – La Palabre
