Interesting facets of circumcision as a cultural practice
Circumcision puts people into specific age groups among the Bukusu community. It is a uniting factor in the sense that people who are circumcised in the same year have several things in common. For a person to qualify for admission into any age group, he must have undergone traditional circumcision which gives a person a sense of belonging and identity. Those who were circumcised in hospital lack an age group hence the division among Bukusu men.
This reminds me of an incident that happened in the year 1996 when one of my classmates, called Namtembi committed suicide because of circumcision. Although he was the youngest in the family of six boys, he was the only one circumcised traditionally according to the Bukusu customary law. He could refer to his brothers as cowards, women/children who feared to face the knife. The insults became too much for the brothers to bear, so the eldest of them all decided to beat the boy. Namtembi could not believe that someone who was circumcised most likely by a woman and a pair of scissors would beat him; he took a rope and hanged himself.
Traditional circumcision is meant to instill cultural values in the initiates. It is during this time that relatives, circumcisers and elders teach informal education (lubito) to initiates, which is key in the life of an individual. Values that are taught at this stage include respect for local authorities, parental responsibilities, history of Bukusu clans, marital issues among others. As a result, our cultural practices are preserved and maintained.
If these cultural issues are misunderstood they can mislead a person.
In Bunana village, Sawa Kelly dropped out of school the age of 12 years, immediately after being circumcised in the year 2002 on grounds that he had become an adult and cannot go to school. He also does not take advice from women including his own mother. One day when he was looking after cattle one of the bulls strayed into a neighbor’s farm. When the owner came, Kelly could not listen to her but instead commanded her to call any male member of her family for the case to be discussed.
Modern circumcision detaches a person from some cultural beliefs and cultural authority. For instance, there are some cultural activities that require participants to have undergone circumcision traditionally. In Luucho village, a man who was circumcised in hospital cannot address any social gathering where elders are present. On the other hand modern circumcision is the best since it is done by experts who observe hygiene during the operation. Unlike in the other method where a single knife is not sterilized before and after it is used on several individuals, doctors observe hygiene while carrying out the exercise.
With the introduction of formal education and religion, most people are opting for the modern way of circumcision since it is save, cheaper and more accurate. Although those with faith little faith go traditional during circumcision season, confess and turn again to Christianity after the rituals. People, who value education a lot, do not have time for such traditional practices. Children who are circumcised in hospital end up performing better in academics because they see education as the only treasure after facing isolation and ridicule from their traditional counterparts.
This being an even year, the Bukusu community is preparing to initiate young boys into adulthood in the month of August. Usher in these growing boys into adulthood the right way, the traditional way or the modern way. The power to choose lies strictly in your hands.
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