Collé Gallo Ardo Sy, a circumcised woman, had managed to help her only daughter escape from the ritual of purification organised every seven years. This year, four young girls have fled from the village to escape from excision and are seeking protection (Moolaadé) from Ardo. The village is on the boil. We are witnessing a confrontation between two kinds of values: the right to protection nd the attachment in tradition symbolised by excision.