With Laisser le couteau I address the topic of Female Genital Mutilation, hereby inviting you to open up to empathy for both sides: seeing not just the “victim” or the “perpetrator” but the human behind the act, the human yearning for dignity, and at the same time the difficult human readiness to let go of traditions. "A cloth was put in my mouth so that the other girls couldn't hear me scream before it was their turn," says Mariama Ciré. “I was lying there on the cold floor, while some aunts pressed me to the floor and others opened my legs. Then the woman started to cut. I could do nothing. It's the tradition.” Even though Mariama was circumcised at the age of 7, she is still traumatized years later. “Every week I pass the place that marked me for life. This has to stop." With a rate of almost 97%, Guinea rises up to number 2 in the world, after Somalia. Although this practice has been prohibited by law for 25 years, yet this tradition remains persistent. I submerge myself in the lives and stories of victims, activists, ex-circumcisers, and religious leaders. Traditions, misbeliefs, and a lack of information keep this horrible practice alive. Nowadays, a circumcision party is often organized for appearances where the girl has been spared of genital mutilation, but the family is in line with the traditional requirements that will keep the girl out of the hands of beckoning aunts and grandmothers. Some photos are taken during an excision feast of young girls (5-6 years).