Nigerian Filmmaker Biodun Stephen Opens Up About Undergoing Female Circumcision At Age Six
Award-winning Nigerian filmmaker Biodun Stephen has shared her painful experience with female circumcision, revealing that she underwent the procedure at six years old. During an appearance on the Diary Of A Naija Girl Podcast, Stephen said the procedure was performed by her grandmother as part of a longstanding family tradition. “It was my grandma, God bless her soul. My mom also went through it. It was their culture,” she said, adding that she doesn’t want to dwell too much on the details. Stephen recounted being taken to a location outdoors under her grandmother’s supervision. At first, she was allowed to play and eat, which made her feel safe and unaware of what was about to happen. Later, she was asked to take a shower and then lie down, after which the circumcision was carried out. She described the pain as vivid and unforgettable, lingering in her memory to this day. “I was six and didn’t understand what was happening. My grandma just said, ‘let’s go somewhere.’ They let me play and eat first, which made me comfortable. Then I was told to shower and later to lie down,” she recalled. No one explained the procedure to her at the time. When she returned home, her mother tried to comfort her but the family never discussed it further. “The pain was intense. My mother rubbed me and said, ‘sorry, my baby,’ but that was it. No conversation about why it happened,” Stephen said. She noted that female circumcision was treated as a normal tradition in her family, passed down through generations, even though children were not told its purpose. Stephen’s story sheds light on the lasting emotional and physical impact of cultural practices carried out on children without their understanding.
