My analysis
Over the past couple of days, the media has been awash with stories and pictures of forced male circumcision in Mbale –Uganda . Male circumcision is a religious- cultural tradition among the Magishu(Bamasaba) of Uganda. Forced circumcision has always been done to Bagishu who refuse to voluntarily get circumcised. However, in this recent incident even some non-Bagishu in Mbale where publicly circumcised by force. This act portrays barbarism and stupidity of the highest order. It is a violation of the right to privacy and freedom against torture.
The goons who participated in this act should be prosecuted in courts of law , fined and jailed. All leaders in Mbale and every sober Mugishu should condemn this barbaric act. Ugandans are waiting to see when the arrested goons will be produced in the courts of law. We need an NGO to do some public interest litigation on behalf of the victims of this barbaric act. Some of these goons, were seen on TV arguing that they were responding to government call to circumcise men in order to reduce HIV. How foolish!!!
The Ugandan police and politicians have always been reluctant to prosecute cases of forced circumcision because some of them condone it. However, one day the country might wake up to a rude shock when these goons will try to circumcise a soldier by force, who will shoot killing a number of Bamasaba. The victims of this incident should go to the Uganda Human Rights Commission(UHRC)(www.uhrc.ug) or
OR
and lodge a complaint as long as they know at least one person who participated in the incident.
Consequences of this barbaric act
Because of this barbaric act many Ugandans from other parts of the country especially the peasants are going to look at the Bagishu as a barbaric and violent tribe from whom a president of Uganda should never arise. This will spoil chances for the likes of Nandala Mafabi who have displayed excellent leadership skills. Certain politicians might de-campaign a mugishu presidential candidate by spreading the lie that if a mugishu becomes president of Uganda, every male will be forced to undergo circumcision.
This incident might also spoil business for hotels and tourist sites which have been getting business from tourists who come to enjoy the Bamasaba culture and beautiful Mbale Scenery.
Indiscriminate circumcision: foreigners’ flee Mbale town
Thursday, 21 June 2012 23:13
Many businessmen of different ethnicities, that do not practise circumcision, locked their shops and fled. Those captured yelled in pain as they were circumcised in front of onlookers in the suburbs of Indian quarters, Mbale garage, Cathedral avenue, Pallisa road, Namakwekwe, Nkoma, Bugema and Nauyo where different ethnic groups reside or do businesses.
For four days, many businesses run by Basoga, Banyole, Baganda, Bagwere, Karimojong, Jopadhola and Banyankore remained closed. On Wednesday, Police engaged in a hide-and-seek game with errant youth and used tear gas to disperse crowds which were gathering around passers-by and those who were carrying out business activities. According to the Mbale district police commander, Michael Ongica, three traditional surgeons involved in this operation have been arrested and face charges of forcefully inflicting harm on their victims.
“Some members of the business community have come to us seeking security because these hooligans are attacking anyone they presume uncircumcised. We have also received a communication from the Bamasaba cultural council that the operation is illegal; therefore, we shall arrest and prosecute anyone found loitering in town looking to destabilize peace in the name of circumcision,” Ongica said.
As a result of this indiscriminate exercise, at least 46 men between the ages of 30 to 70 have rushed to Mbale referral hospital to be circumcised to avoid the embarrassment their colleagues were subjected to. The incident has elicited uproar amongst those who were targeted. However, the Bamasaba cultural leaders’ council has distanced itself from this crude act, saying it was barbaric and uncultured. The council has also called for the arrest and prosecution of those involved.
“Circumcision will officially be launched on the 3rd August at Mutoto cultural grounds. Whoever did it now, contravened the Bamasaba circumcision calendar,” said John Musila, the Bamasaba spokesperson yesterday.
He added: “We as Bamasaba condemn indiscriminate cutting of non-Bagisu. In our culture, non-Bamasaba cannot be forced into circumcision unless they accept on their own. Those forcing non-Bamasaba into circumcision should not be associated with our culture and those doing it, should be cautioned,” said Musila.
dkazungu11@gmail.com
Also see,
Ugandan ladies Challenge the Bogus Circumcision Crusade forcing junk science promoters to change goals posts on HIV and Circumcision
Archbishop
Dr. Luke Orombi should fight HIV using the bible and not conjectural science
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2011/06/archbishop-dr-luke-orombi-should-fight.html
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2011/06/archbishop-dr-luke-orombi-should-fight.html
Ugandan President confronts junk
science head on : Museveni warns on male circumcision
Circumcision is the same as baptism :Archbishop Dr. Luke Orombi urges Christians to embrace Male circumcision
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2011/06/circumcision-is-same-as-baptism
‘Circumcision doesn’t reduce HIV spread’: Gregory Boyle and George Hill challenge Uganda’s Bogus Circumcision Crusade
Forced Circumcision in Mbale was a Shameful, Barbaric and Inexcusable Cultural Affair
“This is the kind of breathtaking crudeness and downright
incivility that frighten so many Ugandans.”
In traditional Uganda, being a male head of a household was invariably associated with widely accepted, obligatory duties to family and community. Getting married was therefore a serious and highly consequential societal undertaking for a man, and so were the expected responsibilities and perks. High up on the list of indisputable benefits owed to such a breadwinner was a decent amount of familial and societal honor accorded to the man. As long as a community man faithfully observed the accepted norms of the day, he wielded a legitimate claim to what his society promises.
Bolstered by adoring communities that had their backs, legitimate dads were considered the nexus of community culture: they advanced the community’s cherished values, bravely defended their communities in wartime and raised their kids in the accepted cultural norms. Thus, the community chiefs and leaders would go to great lengths to protect the coveted status of legitimate dads.
Forced Circumcision. A man’s greatest fear then related to anything else that would potentially damage his macho egoism such as the specter of public humiliation that inevitably followed the reneging of a societal duty. In Mbale, that duty included a keen participation in the rite of circumcision at around age 15. Among the Bamasaba, male circumcision is a hallowed ritual that is performed every even year.
During this important rite of passage —what makes a man a legitimate Bamasaba— men to be circumcised march in a colorful procession, dancing half naked to mellifluous traditional folk songs. Shortly after, their bodies are covered in mud and yeast from a local beer that will be drunk after the ceremony. The traditional surgeon uses a dedicated knife and no sedatives are permitted. There is only one rule for the circumcision: before, during, and after the circumcision – not a cringe, not a sound, not a change in facial expression. Otherwise, you are a coward, and that will be your appellation for life.A male circumcision ceremony in Uganda. Among certain tribes in Uganda, male circumcision is a sacrosanct ceremony. Among the Bamasaba of Mbale, this rite of passage is celebrated every two years.
The penalty for fudging circumcision is particularly stern: the Bamasaba folklore suggests apprehending the pariah wherever he is and subjecting him to forceful circumcision wherever.
In early 2008, William Mafabi was waylaid at Malaba Taxi Park where he worked as a paraffin vendor, bound with ropes, sprinkled with cassava flour and was marched on the streets in a shameful procession that ended with his forceful circumcision. Similarly, in mid 2008, a storm brewed over the forceful circumcision of Stephen Mujoroto, an elderly Mbale man, who was hunted down and forcefully circumcised in Kampala. The Mujoroto case was a turning point in terms of shining a light on the debate surrounding indiscriminate circumcision in Uganda.
Ugandans are sharply split on the morality and legality of such a practice in the case where tribesmen forcibly circumcis a fellow tribesman. Politicians often shy away from this hot potato issue, but government has repeatedly maintained that forced circumcision is illegal, albeit with apparent cluelessness on how to keep a lid on this dreaded practice.
Forced Circumcision on Non-tribesmen. Whereas a great deal of heated debate and a barrage of criticisms and counter-criticisms have been expended on the issue of tribesmen forcefully circumcising fellow tribesmen, it would be inconceivable for advocates on either side to condone the practice of forced circumcision on non-tribesmen.
On June 20, 2012, the international affairs magazine Africa Report, described the scene of a naked man fleeing 50 men attempting to forcibly circumcise him. Only identified as Deo, “the man sought sanctuary…as the men and a local scalpel-wielding surgeon gave chase,” reports Godfrey Olukya. During the week of June 18, 2012, over 40 men were subjected to forced circumcision due to a disturbing mix of cultural and science-based values.
It is important to note that the men who fell prey to the forced circumcision here were targeted because their wives or girlfriends were part of the Bamasaba tribe, or simply were in the wrong place at the wrong time . The program leader, Badru Wasike, told African Report that they were only helping those who feared getting circumcised through the cultural practices, and that they were aware that “circumcised men do not easily get infected with HIV/AIDS.”
But the gist of the entire exercise was rooted on the premise eloquently enunciated by an advocate, Gerald Wambedde, that “since they [non-tribesmen] sleep with our sisters and daughters, we felt they had to be circumcised like the rest of us.” It was their way of making non-tribesmen dads legitimate. This is the kind of breathtaking crudeness and downright incivility that frighten so many Ugandans.
Everything Wrong with Forced Circumcision. The spectacle of an adult man being forcefully paraded on the streets and having his foreskin unceremoniously peeled by dubious surgeons is deeply humiliating. It not only strips a man of his dignity, it also cuts through his very soul, leaving him in a hopeless state of self pity and an irreparably damaged ego.A traditional surgeon holds a dedicated knife for circumcising males in Mbale, Uganda.
In addition to the phenomenal emotional toll on the victim, the unintended outcome on societal perspectives is also worth exploring. To an eight year old boy witnessing the physical and verbal assault on men in a forced circumcision undertaking, this unbelievable sight throws in limbo the traditional idea that men are formidable and can protect family and society. What good is a man publicly beaten within an inch of life and who surrenders with his tail between his legs?
The long-held view that being a good man carries with it a decent amount of familial and societal honor crumbles on its face. Instead of bringing communities together, such a practice plants seeds of discord, pitting opponents against advocates in a frivolous rivalry that can tear apart communities nonetheless.
The economic impact of forced circumcision practices on communities, though superficial, is also worth noting here. The Mbale barbarism on June 19, 2012 is particularly illuminating. The street violence and sheer hooliganism paralyzed business in Mbale town as non-tribesmen who do not practice circumcision locked their stores and fled for their dear lives. For four days, the bulk of businesses run by Basoga, Banyole, Baganda, Bagwele, Karimojong, Jophadhola and Banyankole remained closed, the Observer reported. Four days of business stalemate is eternity in the business world, and represent several millions of shillings in lost revenues.
A subtle, but important story line here is the fact that ludicrous acts by certain Bamasaba men drove “foreigners” —men from other tribes doing business in Mbale—out of Mbale, at least for a while. Clearly, this does not foster a sense of national brotherhood and unity. It is wrong and ought to be condemned outright.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the idea that a shoddy bunch of Bamasaba men turn up on Mbale streets one day and randomly and forcefully circumcise anyone that looks suspicious to them is cockamamie and downright inexcusable.
Such a barbaric practice lays bare the fundamental hollowness and sheer intolerance of some of our Ugandan tribal beliefs and practices. Why in the world would one group of tribalistic fanatics think that everyone else who lives on their land, town or district must practice their customs, or speak their language? Are we that uncivilized? Do some Ugandans really harbor such fundamentally flawed beliefs, or are they simply naively xenophobic? Whatever the answer is, one thing is clear: it is not the Ugandan way to forcefibly circumcise anyone.
Forceful circumcision in Mbale: Police fire teargas
Publish Date: Jun 21, 2012
By Paul Watala
Police in Mbale have fired teargas and deployed heavily to disperse hooligans forcefully circumcising people on the streets including non-Bamasaba.
Police in Mbale have fired teargas and deployed heavily to disperse hooligans forcefully circumcising people on the streets including non-Bamasaba.
The District Police Commander, Michael Angucia Wednesday vowed to crack down the hooligans who are causing insecurity in the town.
“I am not trying to fight the culture of the Bamasaba but the way the practice is handled may cause tribal conflicts. Several people have fled the town, property robbed and business is being paralyzed,” Angucia said.
“We have deployed on the streets to arrest the hooligans,” Angucia added.
He said that several groups of such people have taken advantage of the cultural festival of the Bamasaba to force whoever they suspect to have not been circumcised.
Angucia said that due to public outcry from the people and local leaders, police had no alternative but to provide security on the streets to restore serenity in town, adding that some people have fled town and abandoned business in Mbale main garage.
It is estimated that a total number of about 220 people have been circumcised from the time the exercise began date.
Dr. Jaffer Balyejjusa a senior Consultant surgeon Mbale regional Referral Hospital condemned the act of forceful circumcision.
He said that so far they have received two cases where the victims had been circumcised badly putting lives in danger.
Bamasaba cultural board chairperson, Augustine Wandende condemned the act of forcing people who are not Bamasaba into circumcision without their consent and appealed to the authorities to take action against the culprits.
