Over 230 million girls worldwide have undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). During this procedure, the clitoris, whose primary purpose is to give a woman pleasure, is cut off along with the labia. In many cases, the vagina is then sewn shut, leaving only a tiny opening for urine and menstral flow, the whole process is known as infibulation and it also causes excruciating pain both during the procedure and throughout a woman’s life. In Africa alone, over 144 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM, with nearly three million more subjected to it each year. Global survivors continue to increase, exceeding 230 million—a 15 per cent increase since 2016.
In this present day, there are still religious and cultural sects that believe pleasure and womanhood do not belong in the same sentence. They think women should not enjoy pleasure in the same way men do, and pain for a woman is a second skin. The truth is that Female Genital Mutilation is a form of sexual and gender-based violence; the premise of mutilating and infibulating the female body is simply wicked.
Stop The Razor, a documentary directed by Nigerian filmmaker Ayoola Jolayemi, illuminates the dangers and trauma of FGM through the lived experience of Betty Ajele, a Nigerian survivor of this barbaric practice. It opens immediately, no fluff, just Betty Ajele telling her distressing story: “I’m over 50 years old and I don’t feel like a complete woman.”
This opening confession establishes instantaneously the enduring trauma of FGM, framing the documentary as an urgent, true-life story of loss, betrayal and the fight for bodily autonomy. What gives Stop the Razor an emotional resonance is the narrator’s voice—bold, precise, and laced with indignation. It’s also in how Ayoola captures it: clean, resonant, and simple in a way that drives home the impact of the subject being filmed.
This documentary exposes the lies surrounding FGM and how girls are deceived into undergoing this dehumanising act. Betty was cut at age 12, convinced by her grandmother, whom she trusted and loved. The documentary aims to expose the evil of FGM and educate more women. FGM survives because, among other reasons, it is a generational belief: a mother’s mother does it to her, and she passes it on. Women who practice FGM are conditioned to believe that it is safe. For Betty, her grandmother promised she was safe, even as the tools for the procedure were placed on the table. Soon after, Betty was held down, someone sat on her chest, her legs were forced open, her underwear was removed, and the cutting began.
The courage to recount such a traumatic experience is deeply commendable, and it’s one of the most powerful elements of this documentary. Equally important is that a Nigerian man, Ayoola Jolayemi, recognised the urgency of this narrative and chose to document it. In many cultures, men often hold the power and perpetuate systems that harm women, so when a man decides to confront and expose these realities through storytelling, it matters.
This documentary is a must-watch, not just for how FGM affects the mental health of survivors, but also how the trauma never leaves, how it haunts and affects a woman’s sexual wellbeing, marriage and childbearing abilities. The procedure deeply affects childbirth, often leading to complications during labour, increased risk of stillbirth and postpartum haemorrhage due to scar tissue that prevents normal dilation. There is bleeding, feelings of guilt and emptiness, lack of pleasure, among other effects. “I do not enjoy sex,” Betty says. She is healing, but almost blaming herself for a wickedness inflicted on her, one beyond her control, and she asked a question everyone should be asking now: “Must they do this to a girl child?”
FGM strips away a woman’s agency. After Betty’s cut, the open wound was bathed with hot water. As Betty puts it, “You people have killed me alive.” She says that she often thinks of ending her life. “If I am walking at times, it is just as if the object they used is maybe still there. The circumcision really affected me…”
Betty is now protecting her two daughters and has successfully shielded them from this dehumanising process of FGM. This is how to stop this practice: speaking up, one woman at a time, pushing back, until FGM is eradicated.
Even more devastating is that each year, an estimated three million girls in Africa alone are subjected to FGM, a statistic that highlights the urgency behind this documentary, executive produced by Bola Oyelakin-Ogungbadejo, a girl child advocate, social change agent, and executive producer at Change Agent Network.
This 8-minute documentary is necessary and exceptionally well-executed, with remarkable direction, sound, editing and overall presentation. Ayoola Jolayemi brings considerable expertise to this project as an accomplished cinematographer, photographer, and content producer with extensive experience in the United Kingdom and internationally. His body of work includes over seven documentaries, notably “When The Dust Settles,” which has been screened in cinemas, selected for The British Academy Summer showcase, and featured at universities worldwide. His work has been featured on network stations such as the BBC and TVC Wake Up Nigeria. This level of work and experience informs his sensitive approach to Betty’s story, allowing him to document the devastating effects of FGM with both technical skill and emotional intelligence.
FGM is a difficult story to recount, and survivors may, for cogent reasons, not want to disclose everything. However, one thing that could have given Stop The Razor even more depth is a clearer sense of place. While we know Betty now lives in the UK, the documentary leaves us to infer where she underwent the mutilation, the cultural context at that time, and how prevalent the practice was within her community and family. Despite this, the 8-minute documentary remains a necessary watch, offering powerful revelations that educate and challenge viewers to confront the harsh realities of Female Genital Mutilation. For its relevant significance, it won Best Documentary-International at the Alternative Film Festival in Toronto.
