“Our forefathers and ancestors did not come up with cultural practices and norms sitting in huge hotels but under the trees in the villages”, we need to go back to the same venue to undo what was done. Lets take dialogues and sensitization to the villages where the information is needed most.
Assuming the walls of conference rooms in major towns would speak you will be shocked to find out that they know more about FGM and other problems facing the society than the community members. Well I am not rubbishing conferences but in most cases you find out the people who attend them are the elite and the informed members of the society.
From my experience in rural settings, people have formed ‘cocoons’ in the name of elite/ opinion leaders in the society who attend all conferences. You will find these people in Agricultural, Business, FGM, Security, Politics and any other conference that may take place in the locality. Simply put they have specialized in attending these conferences and the information they get in most cases does not leave the conference rooms since they are more interested in staying at the posh hotels and the allowances thereafter than the message being passed across.
On the contrary, community meeting held in the villages mostly attract the rural folks who need the information being passed. I therefore feel that this is more productive than sitting down in posh hotels and reciprocating information to the same people who attended more than ten conferences and training’s every year. JUST A THOUGH!!!!!
