‘Soweis’ ( Bondo leaders) are still looking out for Admire Seibatu Jones who they try to forcefully initiate into the ‘Bondo’ society also Known as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
During initiation, girls and sometimes women spend months in the ‘Bondo’ bush to go through all ceremonies. Admire kicks against going into the society owing to the ordeal as sometimes young girls who could not withstand the pain of cutting bleeds to death.
Admire Jones has been in hiding for weeks in Sierra Leone before she left for Banjul, the Gambia in November, 2022. She stayed in the Gambian capital city with her husband, Emmanuel Jones for several months before they left for the United States in June, 2023.
Admire is safe from the ‘Soweis’ once she is in the United States. She hails from a small village in Kenema district, Eastern Sierra Leone where FGM is deeply ingrained in the the people’s culture.
‘Bondo’ is seen as a rite of passage from childhood into adulthood, and girls aged between 10 and 15 are often initiated to prepare them for marital life.
Once in the ‘Bondo’ bush, girls are taught domestic science, respect for elders, simple hygiene and romantic songs. Prior to the advent of Western education, knowledge acquired at the ‘Bondo’ bush was very important to indigenous tribes.