(Linked to source)
Sister Fa is an artist who has devoted her entire musical creativity to the eradication of Female Genital Mutilation. As she has endured the procedure herself, the removal of the practice from her local community is personally important. She came to international fame with the documentary that was made about her called Sarabah. Sister Fa became the face for FGM, talking about the procedure and informing the western audience about the social influences that keep it in place. The link below is the trailer for that documentary.
While this documentary has increased Sister Fa’s international fame, she is still very well known locally. Sister fa is one of the first successful female rappers to come from the male dominated Senegalese rap scene. While Sister Fa is supported by the Senegalese majority, due to the active social change that she is endorsing, it is not surprising to note that certain communities have had strong negative reactions to her education tour. For the last two years she has spent months touring the Senegalese countryside teaching schools about the dangers of FGM. She is sponsored by the NGO called the Orchid Project, a UK nonprofit devoting its resources to the eradication of FGM. This NGO has sponsored her concerts as well as creating a platform for her to speak for her cause. To listen to a representative for Orchid Project talk about Sister Fa and her tour click here.
(A photo of Sister Fa teaching while on her education tours. Linked to Source)
At home, she has received a mixed reaction. While most of her concerts are favorably received, this polarizing issue has incited protests in certain communities. However, the majority of the communities are receptive to her education tour. This communities that protested, cited their reasoning as that Islam recommends FGM. While the Quran does not mention this practice, many imams still recommend it to their communities. Many of the communities are very uneducated due to that their access to the religion and its teachings come from the imam. Therefore it can be seen as questioning the religion by questioning his teachings.
Sister Fa uses her music on these tours to attract and bring people together. “In Africa, if you play music in an open space, any music, then people will generally come. ‘It is the way to reach people, to bring them together.’ She uses these communal moments to teach about the dangers of FGM and start conversations on ways that the practice can be eradicated. Her lyrics combine the languages of Wolof, Manding, Jola and French so that the message can be heard by many different communities. She employs the sound of the kora in many of her songs, giving them an unmistakably African flavor while also employing an acoustic guitar in others giving them an obvious western touch. Sister Fa uses the influences of 1980’s hip-hop more than current rap trends.
To listen to an example of her style click here
After watching the clip, continue on here