DOZENS of people, mainly women, handed in their excision knives and blades at a solemn weekend ceremony in eastern Guinea to renounce the sexual mutilation of girls. The ceremony in Kouroussa, some 500km east of the capital Conakry, drew thousands. The practice of female excision has continued in Guinea even though it is illegal and those convicted face life imprisonment. The voluntary renunciation of the practice in the Kouroussa area, where it had been quite widespread, came about after a public awareness campaign. Funds have been made available to compensate former practitioners for loss of income.