by Khomotso Ntuli
The
time of the year in which a number of South African communities send
their young males to traditional initiation schools so that they may
come back as “men”, brings about a great deal of questions and
commentary. Government, NGOs and civil society have all raised
concerns over the number of lives that are lost annually through the
traditional initiation practices.
According
to an article by Sapa that appeared in The
Times on 16 July 2014, the following statistics were reported for
the winter initiation season: “Over
180 boys have been admitted to hospital and 35 have died so far since
the initiation season started".
Furthermore,
a report by the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the
Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities indicated
that the 2013 death toll at initiation schools in Eastern Cape was 83
fatalities. A further 54 565 initiates were hospitalised due to
botched traditional initiation surgeries. Limpopo province reported
just over half the number of hospital admissions compared to the
Eastern Cape at 35 621.
Some
people may ask: What is it exactly in this day and age that makes
young males resolute on undergoing circumcision without anaesthetic
for example, or antibiotics and general medicinal intervention when
infection occurs? Well, there are a number of reasons why some people
would continue doing this, in the same way as the Jewish communities
would have reasons around the practice of circumcision. These reasons
may not be embraced by some the people living outside these cultural
settings, but they have a historical basis nonetheless. One of the
recent arguments advocating for the continuation of circumcision has
been that circumcising reduces chances of sexually transmitted
infections, which is a much needed intervention in the context of our
country’s HIV and AIDS prevalence. One would however argue that
there is more to this than the health aspect, which is usually
brought up in a relatively secondary manner of these discussions.
Worth
noting for anyone about to engage in the male traditional
circumcision versus the medical alternative debate, are the
historical contexts and the clarity needed in handling such a debate.
Traditional circumcision is not just a surgical procedure, but part
of an important and long standing cultural ritual that different
communities go through as rite of passage into manhood.
Historical
context
One
has always found it interesting to note
that some rituals that are found in the bible, made their way to a
number of countries in which they are either not clearly documented
or recorded at all. Circumcision for boys is obviously one of these
rituals. Circumcision for women, or what tends to assume the genital
mutilation tag, is an equally important issue, but one to be
discussed another day. So why did men need to be circumcised in the
past?
Before
I respond to the question, I would like us to look at the current
meaning of circumcision. One stands to be corrected on this point.
In the South African context, there are very few places where the
importance of male circumcision as the rite of passage to manhood is
as vital as in the culture of amaXhosa, baPedi, maTsonga and
amaNdebele among others. Not only it is important for the young
boys’/men’s esteem to undergo the ritual, it also helps them find
a place in their community. Having gone through the traditional
initiation process gives the initiates a kind of stature that allows
them to participate in important family issues among other things. If
a young man has not gone through this ritual, marriage to a girl that
is umXhosa for an example, tends to also be a bit difficult as he is
not seen as complete man.
Our
minister of sports, Fikile Mbalula, had to go through the initiation
process at a relatively advanced age of 34 amid taunts. Mbalula, the
former ANC Youth League leader, may be comforted by the fact that
God’s covenant with the biblical Abraham required that all male
Jewish children be circumcised. This meant that Abraham also had to
undergo this ritual at the very advanced age of 99. So, late
circumcision is not bad.
The
reasons for Minister Mbalula’s need to undergo initiation at the
time he did may be known only to him. It would be fair to respect
the choice he made around this matter. There is however something
worth learning from the response by president of the Congress of
Traditional Leaders of South Africa, Patekile Holomisa, to a Sowetan
article by Zenoyise Madikwa where he said the following of the
minister: "In
the Xhosa tradition boys are not allowed into positions of
leadership. They are not even allowed to sit with men. I am puzzled
that he [the
minister]
was allowed
to get married."
On
the contrary, the case of Zulu men not undergoing this ritual after
inkosi uShaka ruled it out as one that contributed to temporary loss
of men for war purposes, is one that may bring an alternative view to
the notion of manhood.
Why
cultural hegemony is a necessary lens to look through
Taking
into account the fact that there have been a number of deaths related
to circumcision that take place in traditional initiation schools,
some may suggest Medical Male Circumcision as the best way forward,
without of course taking into account the fact that this plays into
the continuous undermining of African culture and traditions.
Specifically here, is one’s
view that it’s important to
respect people’s cultural preferences, when it’s said that
traditional circumcision as a rite of passage is not the same as
medical male circumcision.
Perhaps
it’s important to be cognisant of the fact that it is almost
impossible to critique the flaws of black cultural practices without
running into some problems. There is a potential threat that such a
critique may play into a discourse that finds a lot that is wrong in
African culture, without the same kind of critique being applied to
other cultures, especially European ones. It is clear that there are
a number of people who do not appreciate the importance of
traditional institutions that are tasked with the initiation of young
boys into manhood. The fact that institutions responsible for this
traditional practice are not appreciated in the face of a
predominantly Eurocentric-oriented country, and that deaths of
initiates occur, simply adds fuel to the fire.
One
is of the view that there is obviously a lot in our traditional
practices that is patriarchal and that there are other issues that
need to be looked at through a contemporary lens. But one should warn
against the views of those who make it to the “thought leader”
status of newspapers, who by virtue of such a big platform, tend to
shape popular opinion which should not necessarily be used to decide
the courses that communities are to take.
It
is with this in mind that one would challenge those who may be quick
to wish to replace traditional circumcision practices with medical
ones, to first take note of the fact that communities have the right
to practice traditional rituals as they are part of their culture.
These are rights protected by the Constitution of our country and are
worth respecting. If we, as a society or as government wish to help,
especially in curbing the number of deaths, it is important to engage
with traditional leaders with a view to collaboratively arrive at a
solution. There are clearly issues of accreditation that are crucial
in preventing bogus iiIngcibi
(traditional circumcision surgeons) from exacerbating the issue.
One
would suggest that it is not fair that those who do not understand
the need for traditional circumcision simply propose that people get
surgically circumcised and then continue with the other part (which
has to do with teachings personal conduct of manhood and other
responsibilities of an initiate towards his community) in the bush.
Circumcision is not an isolated surgical operation, but an integral
part of a people’s way of life. Whether it is a concept of manhood
that adds or takes away appreciation for gender equality is an issue
for a different piece of writing. What is important here is to
reiterate that with our wish to curb the loss of lives due to illegal
activities and not the circumcision practice itself, we may do well
if we could engage with traditional leaders. This way we would
guarantee that we put in place measures that will ensure that only
accredited traditional surgeons get to circumcise our youth. This
intervention may help a lot of us avoid falling into a view that has
ready-made solutions for people’s cultures and traditions, simply
because we feel they are “outdated”.
About
the Author: Khomotso Ntuli is the
founder and facilitator of Bush
Dialogues, a dialogue platform that
looks at issues around human rights and active citizenship. He can be
reached at mmotsodemi(at)gmail.com
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