WHEN the British and missionary explorer David Livingstone came into contact with the indigenous tribes of Africa including the BaTonga of Zimbabwe and Zambia, one practice he condemned was their rite of passage which included Chinamwari and male circumcision which I wrote about in the previous two editions of this newspaper.
Livingstone condemned traditional male circumcision as a ‘barbaric act’ that was meant to mutilate vital organs of young tribesmen and women.
This is despite the fact that the biblical teachings he was trying to impose on these tribal people supported male circumcision.
It was practised by the Israelites.
But Westerners have all of a sudden become so interested in getting involved in male circumcision ceremonies by imposing their own versions of medical male circumcision.
Medical male circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin that covers the head of the penis in a ‘sterile’ environment.
The procedure is performed by a trained health professional or doctor.
In Zimbabwe, millions of United States dollars have been poured in these programmes through the National Aids Council (NAC) and the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare while some ‘private’ organisations like Population Services International (PSI) are also implementing the programme.
It is no longer the tribal groupings who undergo male circumcision, but every male including from those tribes that did not practise this ritual.
The first priority in Zimbabwe’s medical male circumcision is men aged 13-49 years, with particular emphasis on men between 20 and 29 years.
It is estimated that around 10 percent of Zimbabwean men are currently circumcised.
Male circumcision is undertaken among the Chewa and Muslims, the Xhosa — Fengu of Ntabazinduna outside Bulawayo, the BaTonga of Binga, the Venda and Shangani of Chiredzi and Mberengwa who perform it as part of their initiation rites of passage to manhood.
But what has been worrying elders of these tribes is the involvement of Western countries that are sponsoring the practice for ‘medical’ reasons where they said the practice has been proven to reduce the likelihood of HIV infection by 60 percent.
Elders argue that before Westerners intervened in the practice, men contracting sexual diseases including HIV were not there as tradition dictated that no one should indulge in sexual activities before getting circumcised.
After circumcision, a man would only stick to one woman, contrary to Western-sponsored circumcision where men are given the impression that if one is circumcised, it reduces their chances of getting infected by 60 percent.
This belief according to elders has resulted in a number of men contracting deadly diseases including HIV because they are under the impression that they are safe since they are circumcised.
There are also disturbing reports where some men were seriously injured in botched operations while others contracted penile cancer or suffer from weak erections.
At one time, the media reported that about 70 percent of circumcised men in the country contracted HIV while others are suffering silently for fear of coming out in the open.
Admittedly doctors say there may be some pain after the operation; patients are given pain killers so that they do not experience too much pain.
In some cases there is bleeding associated with swelling and patients are advised to return to hospital.
In traditional circumcision, men should endure the pain and are often treated with traditional medicines.
Elders argue that if whites saw nothing good about the practice among the indigenous tribes, what has changed now or is it a simple ploy to render men ineffective or they are carrying out experiments so that if the programme is successful they will take it to their respective Western countries.
A quick look at the 1999 HIV and AIDS Service Organisations Directory in Zimbabwe indicated that there are more than 700 organisations working in the country.
Experts believe, as with all other HIV prevention interventions, there is concern that medically circumcised men will be more likely to forgo other risk reduction strategies such as abstinence and having multiple sexual partners.
Furthermore, experts say the perceptions and attitudes of both men and women towards risk and protective behaviour could conceivably shift, leading to reduced protective sex.
They also believe that the women’s ability to insist that their partners have protective sex and adherence to other safer sex practices may be undermined if medically circumcised men believe they are at low risk of HIV infection.
This could or has contributed to an increase in violence against women, and resultantly more Western-backed NGOs advocating women’s rights.
Advocates of women’s health and HIV-positive women, in particular, are concerned that Western medical male circumcision programmes may lead to further stigmatisation of HIV-positive women, as women may be blamed for bringing infection into relationships because men are considered safe because they are circumcised.
There are concerns that such stigma and blame may translate into an increased incidence of gender-based violence.
In traditional circumcision rituals, both boys and girls undergo these rites of passage so that there is no blame game as opposed to Western-backed programmes that have totally disregarded women as resources have been diverted to medical male circumcision.
As a result, programmes concerned with sexual and reproductive health, promotion and provision of female sexual protective devices and treatment have been compromised.
David Livingstone like any whiteman whose culture circumcise babies, and voluntarily risk their lives with breast augmentation and nose jobs, are quick to judge traditional cultures, and even quicker to condemn certain cultural practices.
In traditional circumcision rituals, one would love the warmth and comfort shown by the community of men.
Whites have never sat in communion around so many fires and seen children and adults work together so effortlessly for a common cause.
All have their roles and all have respect for one another.
They show incredible kindness and understanding.
The long ceremonies give one the time to ponder their own roles as a man, something Westerners blunder into via alcohol-fuelled 21st birthday parties.