BUNGOMA DISTRICT, KENYA -- Oscar Wafula, 13, is recuperating after undergoing the cultural circumcision rite many boys in his village have begun to avoid.
Born in the Bungoma district of western Kenya, Wafula is the first-born in a family of five. He is one of the lucky initiates who successfully underwent the cultural male circumcision rite this August, a marker of the transition from childhood to adulthood. A member of the Bukusu community, a sub-tribe of the larger Luhya who believe in traditional male circumcision as a marker of manhood, Oscar’s father, Martin Wekesa, says it would have been considered cowardice if his son would have opted for medical circumcision.
"The major challenge has been to change the mindset of these youngsters who believe that the traditional cut elevates them to stardom."
The “traditional circumcisers,” who practice the rite with homemade knives and no anesthetic, are considered to have special powers handed down from generation to generation, but have no medical training. In Kenya’s western districts, some suggest that as many as 40 percent of the young men who opt for cultural circumcision end up in the hospital with a host of complications, including the loss of the entire penis. But with little corroborating data, the acutal impact it impossible to determine.
But despite the risks and the frequency with which young men here seek hospital treatment after the rite, the practice, which dates back to late 17th century, remains an important community ritual that celebrates a boy coming of age. Research, however, suggests that cultural circumcision is a major factor in the transmission of HIV/AIDS here. New data suggests that one out of every eight initiates becomes HIV infected during the rite.
The Shame of Pain
Cultural male circumcision is common within the Luhya tribe. Many communities in the Bungoma district have held on to the practice, while others have recently abandoned it in favor of medical circumcision. Here, boys between the ages of 10 and 14 face what is known as “the cut” in August of every even year. Most clans perform the rite on as many as 10 young men on a single day with the same tools.
Usually, initiates undergo rigorous preparations as they gear up for their big day -- a day when they subject their naked bodies to villagers carrying crude instruments. Viewers sit ready to laugh and jeer if any of the initiates display signs of pain. A boy who cries out will bring shame to his family and will be ostracized from taking part in important community activities in the future.
Preparations for Wafula’s circumcision rite started in early July, when he and other initiates gathered together each night to rehearse for their big day. Rehearsals included learning how to use a special musical instrument called a chinyimba, which is worn around the wrist and produces a ngo ngo sound. Initiates are expected to play them vigorously and keep rhythm during the circumcision rite.
On that eve of the rite, each maternal uncle slaughters a bull and crowns part of the intestines around his neck. Call likhoni, the ritual cements the unity between maternal and paternal relatives. For the whole night before the rite both men and women dance and sing songs to mock and tease the initiates. One song translates to, “Don’t be a woman. Stand up tomorrow and show what a man you are by withstanding the knife. Otherwise, who will you marry?”
