Photography exhibition – Equipop works with eight change mediators and six trainers from Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania, and Egypt. They organize and run awareness-raising workshops for immigrant populations, both new arrivals and those who have been living in France for several years. This exhibition celebrates their work.
Since 2006, Equipop has been implementing projects to promote the abandonment of FGM and early marriage, particularly in Africa. Interventions in the Kayes region of Mali, a major region of emigration to France, have revealed the significant impact, which can be positive or negative, of migrants on the conduct of activities in villages. Since 2013, Equipop has therefore been pursuing strategies to support diasporas in the process of abandoning FGM and early marriage and, more broadly, to build bridges between actors in Africa and Europe.
Promoting the sustainable abandonment of FGM requires coordinated action between communities in France and West Africa, between professionals and sectors of activity. Migrants are full members of their communities of origin. They are influential actors due to their socio-economic power. Their opinion is crucial in decision-making. Involving migrants enables them to become positive advocates for promoting the abandonment of FGM, or at least to neutralize any negative influence in the face of these changes.
The awareness campaigns conducted by change mediators in diasporas provide an opportunity to promote the positive changes taking place in their region of origin and to inform people about the dangers of the practice and the legal framework. This also gradually helps to dismantle the perceptions that lead to violence against women, as female genital mutilation is part of a continuum of violence that affects women in all societies.
Equipop currently works with eight change mediators and six trainers from Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania, and Egypt. After a period of training and mentoring by experienced mediators, they organize and lead awareness workshops for immigrant populations, both new arrivals and those who have been living in France for several years. The mediators, all from the target communities, have considerable assets for conveying prevention messages. They are familiar with the social and cultural codes of these communities, have easy access to them, and speak the same languages. Nearly 2,000 people were reached by the awareness campaigns between 2016 and 2018.
This exhibition honors these mediators of change.
" The subject of MSF is taboo. You have to be very sensitive and learn how to deal with resistance. " Dieynaba – change mediator since 2016.
