Nollywood actress Victoria Inyama has spoken about her experience with female genital mutilation (FGM), revealing she was circumcised at the age of five while living with her grandmother in the village. During a livestream with media personality Daddy Freeze, Inyama described FGM as evil but said it has helped her control her sexual desires. She claimed the practice gave her strength to resist relationships, stating, "If I say I no dey do, I no dey do. And that is the power that I have." Inyama added that it is one of the best things that happened to her, citing it as the reason no one can claim to have seen her with a man in a hotel.
Victoria Inyama's endorsement of FGM as a tool for sexual control stands in stark contrast to global health and human rights positions, and her comments risk normalising a harmful practice under the guise of personal empowerment. While she calls the act evil, her assertion that it benefits her self-discipline undermines decades of advocacy aimed at eradicating FGM in Nigeria and beyond.
The actress's narrative reflects a deeper cultural tension where tradition and personal identity are intertwined, often shielding harmful customs from critique when individuals claim to benefit from them. Her status as a public figure amplifies the weight of her words, especially among followers who may conflate personal experience with broader justification.
For many Nigerian women, particularly in rural communities, FGM is not a choice but a coercive tradition justified by similar reasoning. Inyama's remarks, though personal, could embolden those resisting anti-FGM campaigns, making it harder to protect young girls from undergoing the procedure.
This moment fits into a recurring pattern where celebrities leverage personal stories without fully acknowledging their societal impact, especially on issues tied to gender and bodily autonomy.
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