October, 2014

My mother’s strange definition of empowerment

Khadija Gbla

About the
Speech

In this speech, Khadija Gbla talks about growing up in Australia as a refugee and as a victim of Female Genital Mutilation. She talks about the impact of FGM on her body-awareness, on her sexuality and on knowing herself. Gbla grew up caught between two definitions of what it means to be an empowered woman. While her Sierra Leonean mother thought that circumsizing her — and thus stifling her sexual urges — was the ultimate form of empowerment, her culture as a teenager in Australia told her that she deserved pleasure and that what happened to her was called female genital mutilation.

TED, Canberra, ACT, Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country

  • Women's Health

18:29

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KhadijaGbla

B. 1988

Human rights advocate, inspirational speaker, writer and mentor

Khadija Gbla is a multi-hyphenate; high-profile, passionate, and inspiring African-Australian woman. She is a single mum, carer, black, non-binary, queer, neurodivergent, and disabled award-winning human rights activist, model, inspirational speaker, writer and mentor. Gbla utilises her powerful and inspired voice to advocate for structural change and everyday simple actions we can all take to achieve true equality and inclusion for all people. Gbla is the lead voice and campaigner on Female Genital Mutilation in Australia, and she runs a not-for-profit organisation, Ending Female Genital Mutilation Australia.

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