Kenya’s abandonment of female genital mutilation (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? Girls are cast out from their communities if they’re not ‘cut.’ ”She explains that many girls undergo the process due to familial and community pressures. Maasai society represses the voices of women, and the costs are high for girls who reject the traditional way.
Black & White Single Image Winner B&W Fine Art Magazine, 2020
LE PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE DE PARIS (PX3) “State of the World” Winner | Maasai Custom: FGM, 2019
2nd Place, Advertising / Annual Reports |PX3 PRIX de La Photographie Paris | Maasai Custom: FGM, 2019
INTERNATIONAL COLOR AWARDS | People,Maasai Custom: FGM, 2018
1st place, Social Cause | Lucie Foundation International Photography Award |Maasai Custom: FGM, 2018
Honorable Mention, Culture + Traditions | Lucie Foundation International Photography Award |Maasai Custom, 2018
Bronze, People | Tokyo International Foto Awards| Growing up Female in Maasai Culture, 2018
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Photographer Statement
For this series, I traveled to remote areas of Kenya making portraits and recording testimonials from Maasai girls, women, and men about the practice of FGM.Through this series, I aim to amplify female Maasai voices to break through prejudicial boundaries and increase awareness about the health risks and psychological trauma involved in the practice.
"FGM" can lead to health issues such as severe bleeding, hemorrhage, sepsis, tetanus, urination problems, cysts, HIV/AIDS, infertility, complications during childbirth, and sometimes death. Many girls who have undergone the procedure also suffer psychological trauma from the experience. According to the UN, communities that practice female genital mutilation report a variety of social and religious reasons for continuing the practice. Seen from a human rights perspective, the practice reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against woman.
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“A camera in my hands is more than a tool to capture the moment. It is like a passport, it is a license to travel and explore and, in the process, tell the stories of people around the world who feel voiceless."
Simas’ journey as a humanitarian and photojournalist began in 2014 after a trip to Namibia, when she volunteered to photograph a children’s soup kitchen, Home of Good Hope, in a community where hundreds of children had been left orphaned due to the AIDS/HIV epidemic. Her time documenting the organization was a pivotal moment, and she realized the power of photography as an instrument of social change.
Matilde believes photography is a powerful tool for change.
“By engaging the public through art, I can help transform public perceptions; educate individuals, communities, and policymakers; and inspire action to put an end to this horrific crime against humanity.”
After taking a workshop through Eyes in Progress, Matilde came to know Advocate Photojournalist, Ed Kashi. As a socially-conscious documentary photographer, Kashi has become an advisor and role model to Simas. Helping her “to take a deeper, more honest approach to her storytelling.” Encouraged by Kashi to continue exploring documentary photography as a means social activism, Simas continues to document survivors.
“In the end I just want to lift people up by amplifying their voices and to tell their stories with beauty and dignity.”
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A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation
“Growing up Female in Maasai Culture” explores the challenges of being female in a society that represses the voices of Maasai girls, particularly on the issue of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Kenya. The series documents an unlawful Maasai FGM ceremony in Makuta, Kenya and focuses on portraits accompanied by testimonials from Maasai girls about the practice.
Kenya’s abandonment 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? Girls are cast out from their communities if they’re not ‘cut.’” She explains that many girls undergo the process due to family and community pressures. Others express their hopes to change this culture and save girls from the health risks and emotional trauma.
“Growing up Female in Maasai Culture” explores the challenges of being female in a society that represses the voices of Maasai girls, particularly on the issue of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Kenya. The series documents an unlawful Maasai FGM ceremony in Makuta, Kenya and focuses on portraits accompanied by testimonials from Maasai girls about the practice.
Kenya’s abandonment 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? Girls are cast out from their communities if they’re not ‘cut.’” She explains that many girls undergo the process due to family and community pressures. Others express their hopes to change this culture and save girls from the health risks and emotional trauma.
For this series, I traveled to remote areas of Kenya making portraits and recording testimonials from Maasai girls, women, and men about the practice of FGM.Through this series, I aim to amplify female Maasai voices to break through prejudicial boundaries and increase awareness about the health risks and psychological trauma involved in the practice.
"FGM" can lead to health issues such as severe bleeding, hemorrhage, sepsis, tetanus, urination problems, cysts, HIV/AIDS, infertility, complications during childbirth, and sometimes death. Many girls who have undergone the procedure also suffer psychological trauma from the experience. According to the UN, communities that practice female genital mutilation report a variety of social and religious reasons for continuing the practice. Seen from a human rights perspective, the practice reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against woman.
Matilde Simas | A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation | Kenya
Kenya’s abandonment of female genital mutilation (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? Girls are cast out from their communities if they’re not ‘cut.’ ”She explains that many girls undergo the process due to familial and community pressures. Maasai society represses the voices of women, and the costs are high for girls who reject the traditional way.
Matilde Simas | A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation | Kenya
An elderly Maasai woman sits in front of a hut where an unlawful female genital mutilation (FGM) ceremony is being performed in Makuta, Kenya, November 2016.
Matilde Simas | A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation | Kenya
Maasai male prospective suitors prepare for a community gathering to celebrate the female rite of passage ceremony in Makuta, Kenya, November 2016.
Matilde Simas | A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation | Kenya
Maasai youth collect a sacred branch in preparation for a female right of passage ceremony in Makuta, Kenya, November 15, 2016.
Matilde Simas | A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation | Kenya
Elderly Maasai woman recite prayer to a sacred branch in preparation for a female rite of passage ceremony in Makuta, Kenya, November 15, 2016.
Matilde Simas | A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation | Kenya
In a dime light hut a Maasai girl sits with her mother as she drinks blood drawn from a cow to strengthen her before a female genital mutilation (FGM) procedure. “FGM” is a rite of passage thought to elevate a girl from childhood to the status of adulthood. The belief is it has the ability to reduce a woman's desire for sex, making her less likely to engage in pre-marital sex or adultery. The procedure, clitoridectomy, ranges from snipping off a piece of the clitoris to the removal of all external genitalia. In a dimly light mud hut, an elderly woman performs the procedure with an instrument, known as an "ormurunya." After the procedure a paste made from cow dung and milk fat is applied to the area to stop the bleeding.
Matilde Simas | A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation | Kenya
"FGM" can lead to health issues such as severe bleeding, hemorrhage, sepsis, tetanus, urination problems, cysts, HIV/AIDS, infertility, complications during childbirth, and sometimes death. Many girls who have undergone the procedure also suffer psychological trauma from the experience. According to the UN, communities that practice female genital mutilation report a variety of social and religious reasons for continuing the practice. Seen from a human rights perspective, the practice reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against woman.
Matilde Simas | A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation | Kenya
Maasai female youth in a remote village says "non-Maasai people come to my village and talk about how the rite of passage is wrong, but it is our tradition and something we have practiced for hundreds of years. They say unless we stop the rite, my parents are going to be prosecuted. If my parents are taken away what will I do. I will starve and have no place to go."
Matilde Simas | A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation | Kenya
Many Maasai, particularly those who live near urban areas like Makuta, no longer announce their female rite of passage ceremnony. In many cases, Maasai young girls are taken into hiding to be circumcised out of view of the authorities.
Matilde Simas | A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation | Kenya
Maasai female youth stands in front of her mud hut in a remote village where many Maasai families cannot afford to give their children formal schooling. Parents choose to protect their daughters from lives of poverty and so they choose to marry them off at a young age. Because Maasai girls are traditionally considered children until they are have the rite of passage ceremony, it is seen as imperative for a Maasai girl to undergo the female genital mutilation rite before she is married.
