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Elders are concerned that some of the key imbalu (circumcision) rituals are being abandoned
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A day or two ago, The Monitor published a story about the Bagisu Imbalu rituals. The story, with the headline “Elders worry as tribesmen abandon Imbalu rituals,” was published on their website and shared on their social media accounts like Facebook. It attracted a lot of mixed reactions, with some people commenting in support of the idea while others expressed their disappointment that their much-treasured culture is dying away.
The story suggests that certain traditional rituals are slowly being abandoned, while the current generation is opting for new methods, especially when it comes to circumcision. The Monitor quotes some of the Bagisu elders who were expressing their disappointment about the abandonment of some rituals. They say some of these rituals were specifically meant to ensure the guidance of the holy spirits.
“Children of Mwambu, after the first cut, were supposed to allow people to touch the wound and also pour water mixed with salt. They endured the pain with the aid of the gods,” Mr. Gusolo, an elder, was quoted as saying. He added that it is one of the mandatory rituals now being shunned by some of the current generation. Mr. Gusolo insists that Imbalu is not a mere ceremony of cutting the foreskin, as some people want it to appear because of modernity and education, but a process guided by the gods.
There were many reactions on Facebook, to which I also contributed, and we exchanged a few ideas with some of the followers. Of course, everyone, as they say, is entitled to their opinion, so I decided to share mine here. I took an interest because a friend who shared the link on social media seemed concerned that culture is dying and that someone should intervene.
First of all, I am not a fan of circumcision. As a matter of fact, I am always preaching against it. And you know why? It’s not necessary. Even the reasons that most people give for it are not strong enough to convince me that a normal human being should have their body parts (foreskin) cut off. Why would you prefer to cut off your body parts? I mean, it has never made sense to me. Away from culture (initiation into manhood), most people cite reasons like cleanliness. But then, there are other parts that are actually dirtier than the penis, yet you don’t have to cut them off to be clean.
For example, the mouth is dirtier. It takes in all sorts of food. It also creates mucus; people spit phlegm through it; food particles remain in the mouth and make it smell, but still, no one advocates for lips to be cut off to ensure cleanliness. Everyone encourages washing the mouth and brushing with all sorts of mouthwash and toothpaste. So, what’s hard about advising people to clean themselves with water and soap?
People advise brushing for cleanliness, not cutting off lips
Another argument is that circumcision helps control sexually transmitted diseases. Well, researchers acknowledge that it doesn’t cure them completely. They say circumcision is not bulletproof against HIV. It helps, but it doesn’t control it fully; otherwise, we wouldn’t have examples of Muslims struggling with HIV.
We can take it easy and say some people would like to have it for personal reasons. But now that we have better and modern methods, why insist on the old barbaric practices? Imagine standing in front of multitudes of people, pulling out your nini, everyone seeing it being cut, and to add more, they have to touch it while some pour water mixed with salt. All because it’s culture. It still doesn’t make sense to me. If circumcision is that important, then you can use hospitals for a safer and more private method. Those who feel they want to do it that way should be left alone to do it.
One thing I understand about evolution is that if something becomes useless with time, evolution will get rid of it. As humans started living in houses instead of caves, they began getting warmer and warmer, and consequently, the body no longer needed so much hair for protection against cold. That’s why our bodies are smooth now. However, despite thousands of years of circumcision, young boys are still born with their foreskin. How then do you come up with an idea that it should be removed? It doesn’t make sense to me. Charles Darwin’s Natural Selection theory explains this clearly.
Does it solve society's problems? Ask yourself what the biggest societal challenges are now, and how does your circumcised nini help them? Imagine having your circumcised nini but still struggling with diseases, unable to pay rent, or afford school fees. Of what importance is it then?
Is culture still something to hold on to? Well, I must admit, of course, some practices are not that bad, and it’s okay to keep them. But when someone says they are not comfortable with it, they should be given the freedom to leave it. I mean, people have gone to school, traveled, been exposed, and interacted with many other people. Science has improved, and we now understand much more than we did years or centuries ago. Trust me, if you ask many people today why certain practices were started, many would not even know, except for the fact that they have also been indoctrinated by their parents.
For example, in the Facebook discussion, someone named Kato was showing his strong feelings about why culture should not be tampered with. He showed all the reasons why it’s important to keep the culture, and since he is a Kato, that means he is a twin. I reminded him that there was a time when twins would be killed because they were seen as a bad omen. I asked him if he is a bad omen since he is a twin. Now, imagine if we were still killing young women who give birth before marriage, like it was in Kabale hundreds of years ago?
See, if certain cultural practices can’t solve society's problems, then of what importance are they? Why should we be rigid about some of these things?
By Dickens Tiharihondijo
