Abstract
The cultural practice of female genital cutting, customarily known as female circumcision, is conveyed by different cultural expressions including conventional literature and popular arts. Existing studies on this indigenous tradition in Nigeria have concentrated more on fieldworks in the domains of social and medical anthropology, undermining the role of literature, especially the dramatic form, in creating public health awareness of clitoridectomy. This study, therefore, examines the health implications of female genital cutting in Mabel Evwierhoma's The Cut Across, a drama piece that realistically depict the cultural experience of female genital mutilation in Urhobo land, emphasising its ensuing health complications. The play was subjected to literary investigation, using the tools of qualitative content analysis. The analysis draws from Postcolonial Theory with a central focus on Postcolonial Health, to account for how colonial influence and Euro-modern culture shape new conversations on health administration in the colonies, especially as it applies to the representations of non-medical clitoridectomy (female circumcision) in the play. The study reveals that Evwierhoma appropriates characters and events in the play to create public health awareness campaign that negativises the cutting of female genitals, and prioritises the wellbeing of women. The setting of the play in an imaginary Urhobo community, Omafuowho, underscores the fact that the experiences invented in the play are drawn from the Urhobo worldview, to make a universal statement that decries female genital cutting as an unhealthy and destructive cultural practice. Through Emu, the play's protagonist, Evwierhoma presents a revolutionary stance that portrays female circumcision as a practice that dehumanises women and subjects them to health perils.
