CIRCUMCISION TIME

On the way back to Natalie’s house, we rolled down the windows to dry ourselves off from all the sweat (even though you don’t always feel hot, you constantly sweat here) and to hear the drums of a large group passing by on foot. The group was apparently the beginning of a circumcision celebration. The young men here are circumcised at age thirteen. In Kenya, the boys can usually just have this taken care of in a hospital, but in Uganda, the pressure is still on the boy to become a man via a rusty knife and no painkillers. If the boy flinches, he is made to wear a skirt for a week. His face is painted white and he dances/runs with his supporters out to the place of choice for the circumcision event. The procedure is said to be demonic with witch doctors and what not. None of the missionaries here could tell me more than that since they are warned/forbidden to attend the ceremonies due to the drugs, drinking, and dancing that usually end up leading to the raping of several women present. Fiona said some tribes in Kenya will circumcise the females too. Before the week ended we saw quite a few of these marches as people are now trying to get all the boys in before the end of the year. Even as I’m typing this I still can’t believe things like this still go on in 2010.