Nip, Tuck and Run - Kenya

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Back when I was preparing for university interviews, one of my teachers offered to help me by preparing a few questions and videoing a practice run. Nice one, thought I. In fact, it was both an embarrassing and an amusing experience, mainly around the point when the afore-mentioned teacher asked: "If you were a participant-observer in a strange culture, and were asked to attend a female circumcision ritual as an honoured guest, how would you respond?"

Years later, my then response of clamming up, going red, and trying to formulate something half decent to say was repeated when the question was asked again: for real, this time. I was in a tiny village in Kenya, spending a few months working in the local school and trying to learn something of the Gusii tribe, our hosts. By this point I was a second-year anthropology student and pretty excited about the chance to do some 'research'.

Female circumcision wasn't exactly my idea of fun, but in a split second what can you do but nod? I'd tried explaining my viewpoint on circumcision before, they knew I was against such practices, but that made no difference - I was to attend and I was to enjoy it. To do anything else after being so interested in the community would cause problems. Oh, and don't forget to bring your camera.

Yes, the prime reasoning behind the invitation was to obtain photographs. Little did I ever realise that the real response to "If you were..." was "I shall take photos on demand", but that seemed to be the case. I felt trapped. There wasn't much chance of escaping the real reason behind the big celebration, which didn't bother anyone else, and even though everyone else was singing and dancing I still felt desperately sorry for the girls undergoing this ritual.

After about half an hour I'd taken a bunch of photos and said hello to all the elders, and as far as I was concerned that was my part as resident white girl over - anthropological opportunity or not. I was off.

I couldn't watch the act itself, I couldn't even stay past the point at which the girls were veiled and sent inside the hut, trailed by Christian women (which doesn't make them perfect, but they were going against the local priest's teachings). And surprisingly enough, though I finished my degree and still have the travel bug, I have never pursued anthro as a career.

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