Honoring Our Roots, Reclaiming Our Future: Ending Harmful Traditions Through Ancestral Awareness

We get to flip the script and reclaim what is ours.

More than 230 million girls and women alive today are living with the consequences of female genital mutilation — a practice carried out primarily in 30 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Despite being deeply entrenched in tradition, female genital mutilation, or FGM, has no health benefits and is considered a violation of human rights by the World Health Organization.

At African Ancestry Link, we believe that connecting with your ancestry is more than a moment of identity — it's a pathway to wellness. It’s about honoring our roots while courageously calling out harmful legacies. FGM is not a rite of passage. It’s a trauma, and our commitment is to shed light on this issue and promote new, affirming traditions that protect our girls and heal our communities.

FGM: The Reality Behind the Ritual

FGM involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or injury to the genital organs for non-medical reasons. According to the WHO, it is most often performed on girls between infancy and age 15. The immediate consequences can include severe bleeding, pain, urinary problems, and in some cases, death. Long-term effects include infections, complications during childbirth, psychological trauma, and reduced sexual health and satisfaction.

A 2017 article published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information confirms what survivors have shared for decades — that the psychological impacts of FGM, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, can last a lifetime. What is the cost of treating these health consequences? An estimated $1.4 billion annually. That number will only increase unless real action is taken.

It’s important to note that any religious text does not sanction FGM. The practice continues due to community pressure, deeply rooted myths around sexuality and marriageability, and the belief that it is a necessary part of becoming a woman. But culture must evolve when it causes harm. And it can.

The Power of African Women Leading Change

Healing begins with the power of voice and sharing one's testimony.

This conversation can’t happen without acknowledging the fierce, visionary African women fighting on the front lines to end FGM. People like:

• Jaha Dukureh, a survivor and activist from The Gambia, helped lead her country to outlaw FGM and founded Safe Hands for Girls.

  
  

• Nice Nailantei Leng’ete, a Kenyan Maasai woman who escaped FGM and now champions girls’ rights through youth mentorship and policy change.

  
  

• Domtila Chesang, the founder of the I_Rep Foundation, works in Kenya to end FGM by empowering survivors and educating communities.

  
  

Their leadership proves that cultural pride and progress are not mutually exclusive. They are redefining what it means to be rooted in heritage, not by preserving trauma but by uplifting truth and transformation.

Reframing Tradition Through DNA and Ancestral Knowledge

At African Ancestry Link, we help people trace their lineage, tribe, and migration patterns using DNA. But we also understand that this knowledge is a mirror. It reflects not just who we are, but what we carry — and what we must consciously choose to heal.

If we are serious about legacy, we must start asking: Which traditions do we honor and courageously release?

Instead of harmful rites, we can celebrate coming of age through affirming ceremonies, ancestral storytelling, and healing gatherings. We can create new traditions that elevate our daughters, their voices, power, and right to exist entirely.

Today’s Call: Courage and Clarity

African Ancestry Link family, let us use our collective voice to challenge silence, name pain, and promote change. Ending FGM is not an attack on culture. It’s an act of cultural responsibility. As we reclaim our ancestry, let’s also reclaim the right of every Black girl to grow up whole, safe, and powerful.

Let our DNA not only tell us where we come from — let it shape how we show up for the future.

Call to Action:

• Join us for an upcoming virtual event such as our Healing Circle, Diaspora Dialogue, or both!

• Learn more through resources from the World Health Organization.

• Support grassroots leaders like those featured in Global Citizen’s article on FGM activists.

• Share this post. Start the conversation. Be the link between knowledge and healing.