Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation

• Prize
  Winner in State of the World/Social documentary
• Photographer
  Matilde Simas, United States
• Category
  Social documentary
• Studio
  Matilde Simas Photography
• Website
  http://www.matildesimas.com
• Instagram
  https://www.instagram.com/mattie_simas/?hl=en

This series documents an unlawful Maasai female genital mutilation (FGM) ceremony in Makuta, Kenya. Kenya’s abandonment of "FGM" was written into federal law in 2011, yet the practice remains widespread in remote areas of the country. “If I do not accept the ‘cut,’ I will be forced to leave,” says one Maasai girl from a remote village. “Where can I go? “FGM” is a rite of passage thought to elevate a girl from childhood to the status of adulthood. The procedure, clitoridectomy, ranges from snipping off a piece of the clitoris to the removal of all external genitalia.

Matilde Simas is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker. She also serves as the Creative Art Director for the Limb Kind Foundation, where she combines her artistic vision and storytelling expertise to raise global awareness about the challenges faced by individuals with limb loss. With a background in psychology and women’s studies from Suffolk University and advanced training in digital photography at the Rhode Island School of Design, Matilde brings a unique perspective to her work, guided by a trauma-informed approach that emphasizes documenting dignity within vulnerable communities.