How practices, and meaning, of genital cutting are changing in Tanzania

Among the Maasai the circumcision of both boys and girls serves as a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. Efforts to discourage the practice haven’t always resulted in fewer Maasai girls being cut. But new research shows that they have had an impact on the cultural meaning of the ceremonial rite of passage, as well as its context. Hannelore van Bavel, Els Leye and Gily Coene explain.