[2] Malicounda Bambara is especially notable for being the first village in Senegal to publicly abandon the traditional practice of female genital cutting.

[2] The area was first settled in 1901 by Samba Ba and Karfa Traoré, two peanut farmers from neighbouring Mali in search of fertile land.

[2] Malicounda Bambara's size increased greatly and was divided into the three districts Barkabougou, Binabougou and Karfabougou, which were initially led by Barka Sanokho, Bounama Diarrisso and Karfa Sidibé respectively.

Barkabougou, by far the largest, was further split into the merchant's district known as Dioulacounda, Khaidacounda, which was founded by marabout Fode Bocar Doucouré and Nioroncounda, inhabited by people from Nioro.

[2] On July 31, 1997, the women of Malicounda Bambara decided to announce their decision to abandon female genital cutting (FGC) to the world.

They were joined by 20 Senegalese journalists as well as representatives of the Ministries of Health and Family, Social Action and National Solidarity[4] to witness the first public declaration ending the practice of FGC.

Halting FGC has been an aim of various local and international NGOs since the 1970s, when the term female genital mutilation was coined in order to establish, according to the WHO, "a clear linguistic distinction from male circumcision, and [to emphasize] the gravity and harm of the act.

NGOs working to end FGM/C in Senegal and elsewhere in Africa generally prefer to use FGC in an effort to communicate respect for traditional culture and avoid demonization of practitioners as well as women who have been subject to the procedure.

The women of Malicounda Bambara came to their decision while taking part in the Community Empowerment Program (CEP) of the international NGO Tostan, based in Dakar.

Tostan's holistic program in fact does not take the abandonment of FGC as its overarching goal; the declaration of Malicounda Bambara was made entirely on the volition of the class members – with the support of the wider community – after sessions covering human rights, health and hygiene.

[7] The CEP is designed so as to not pass judgment on this ancient practice, but simply to inform the population of both the short- and long-term risks associated with the operation.

As recounted above by Diop, a curious phenomenon in the form of a methodical, progressive approach to tackling the subject took place: "The discussions were organized in concentric circles.

The event of July 31, 1997 was the impetus for a slew of newspaper articles and radio interviews in which the women of Malicounda Bambara were forced to defend their decision.

"[11] A journalist and photographer from the French newspaper Point de Vue were present on November 6, 1997, when the exciseuse (cutter) of the village declared she had stopped performing the procedure after learning that many health problems could be directly linked to FGC.

A group of female parliamentarians have also indicated the necessity of modifying our laws in order to reinforce equality between the sexes in various areas such as finance, social services, worker's rights and the family code.

But especially, it is imperative that government and non-governmental organizations work together to convince the public that this practice constitutes a danger for women's health.

Led by imam Demba Diawara of Keur Simbara, 50 representatives of 11 villages (Keur Simbara, Bagana, Médina Fajal, Diabougou, Boubacar, Samba Dia, Fajal, Soudiane, Kobongoy, Samb Diallo and Sorabougou) representing more than 8,000 people joined Malicounda Bambara and Ngeurigne Bambara in renouncing FGC on February 15, 1998.

[15] This meeting brought a whirlwind of international attention to the movement to end FGC; the declaration of Diabougou "validated, in some sense, that of Malicounda Bambara and promised future progress.

Following the spread of the CEP and the resulting community-led movement for change and as of October 2013, a total of 6,778 communities have now taken part in public declarations committing to their abandonment of FGC in Djibouti, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Somalia, and The Gambia.