The potency of some retrogressive cultural norms lies in the hearts and souls of its people, who act as the bearers of the same, for their future generations. While culture defines a people, its dark side is engendered by the very same, especially when part, of the whole of it, is passed by time.

This was the case for Josephine Passienyi, a resident of Narok now in her 40s, who reflects on her experience with Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) with pain, regret, and resignation in the knowledge that she cannot redeem a precious part of her that she lost to an outdated practice.

She vividly recalls the terrifying moment when she faced the cut, a day that she had been fearfully anticipating, yet kept pushing behind her mind as she grew up.