ENTRY DESCRIPTION
In many Maasai communities, female circumcision or ‘female genital mutilation’ (FGM) is a common ritual practice, associated with the transition from a girlhood to adulthood and marriage. ‘The cut’ kills many girls, who can be as young as eight years old when they undergo the ceremonial ritual.

On the eve of an alternative rite of passage (with the festivities, but without the circumcision), I attended a candle light ceremony organized to for the young girls of Maasai tribes surrounding Olentoko, a region in Kenya. The ceremony was concluded by prayers and blessings from the Maasai elders, completing the girls' first day of ceremonies.

AUTHOR
My name is Joost Bastmeijer, and I'm a Dutch photojournalist currently traveling through Africa. My photographic work has been published by media outlets like The Guardian, NRC Handelsblad, El Pais, De Morgen, Al Jazeera and De Volkskrant, among others.

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