Forced to face the knife

On June 19, fear and anxiety gripped Mbale after the launch of the dramatic Bamasaba cultural fete that left about 46 Japadhola, Bagwere, Banyore and Iteso were forcefully circumcised.

The Bagisu hired local drummers and dancers (Kadodi) that accompany the “Imbalu” processions in town, trailed every uncircumcised Mugisu and non Mugisu operating business in town and had them forcefully circumcised by traditional surgeons against their will.

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. According to the deputy RDC Mbale, Emma Mitala, the incident has forced a number of non-Bagisu business men to abandon their shops, stop doing business in Mbale and avoid using the Mbale – Juba route for business transactions, for fear of being forcefully circumcised.

Among the Bamasaba (also known as the Gisu) of Mbale and Mount Elgon region in Eastern Uganda, every leap year is a traditional circumcision year. To them, male circumcision is a cultural rite for initiation into manhood.

This practice dates back to the days of their forefathers. As described by Professor Timothy Wangusa, in his book Upon This Mountain, circumcision (known as Imbalu among the Gishu) is for strength, velour and manhood.

So sacred is this tradition, that groups in every district called “Muwambe” loosely meaning “Arrest him” to have him circumcised, were instituted to force uncircumcised into manhood. Mbale District’s Muwambe Chairman, Ezekiel Magudo and the Bamasaba (Bagisu) Cultural Union spokesperson, John Musira, however, strongly disassociates their institutions from the crude act of forceful circumcision of non- Bamasaba.

Musira described it as barbaric and uncultured and called upon the police to arrest and prosecute those involved. “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,” says Musira.

Magudo adds his voice to this, saying, “For us we look for only Bagisu, but if a non-Mugisu wanted, then we organise money for him, he dances around to collect some more money, then we circumcise him.”

The tactics
Mugudo reveals that the groups in every district monitor those not circumcised, but that because Mbale town keeps everyone even those who have run away from circumcision in their villages, the Mbale Muwambe group’s eyes are open to anybody suspected to be uncircumcised.

“When the year for circumcision is on, we don’t look for those who have dodged, we leave them to get circumcised, but during odd years where we don’t circumcise, we begin monitoring these, we send our spies to the villages to find out those who are mature and dodged the previous year. We even use women to find out, then we make a list and when the year comes, we go for them,” says Magudo, adding, “At times we follow you up after a tip and insist that you open your trousers for us to see to ascertain that you have been circumcised and this is only done amongst the clans where women fear to report their husbands but we also train our girls to convince their non-Bagisu husbands to accept to be circumcised,” said Magudo.

Concerning the non- Bagisu who were circumcised, he says, “For the non-Bagisu who found themselves in this mess, we are sorry and let the culprits be produced in court and prosecuted.”

However, Rev Michael Gidudu, a clergy man in Mbale, said this was not the first time the Bagisu went on rampage to circumcise every non-Mugisu living in Mbale.

“The traditional cultural fete in not taking place for the first time in Mbale and targeting non Bagisu in 1954, 1978 and 1990 there were circumcision fetes that targeted the Iteso and Bagwere who were staying in Mbale, so when it comes back in 2012, many of us were not surprised” .

Magudo nonetheless insists that the targeting of non-Bagisu had nothing to do with converting them into Bagisu “But we were cleaning them, helping them not to acquire HIV/Aids besides we could not afford to stay with boys who wanted to dance “Kadodi” and never wanted to get circumcised,” he admits.

The group searched every corner of town and put up temporary road blocks, requiring men to remove their pants in order to be certified as circumcised.

Hajj Yusuf Wamboga, a senior traditional surgeon, says when the year begins; all surgeons are inspired by the tradition.

“We begin trembling, we begin dreaming about circumcision and once you don’t participate in it, you run mad. And this is the time we begin going out on rampage to circumcise anybody who accepts to be circumcised even non Bagisu,” said Wamboga.

Many of the people who have been forced into circumcision at a mature age say they were humiliated before their children and relatives and lost their status in society. “I was arrested and circumcised at the age of 64 years, although I feel comfortable now, but I lost respect amongst my people having been the first Bugisu area MP in 1962,” says Peter Muduku, the first Bugisu region Member of Parliament now an elder at Kilayi, Muduku.

“As surgeons, we know besides being painful, it is humiliating to circumcise elders before the children, but because it is a cultural requirement for all boys and uncircumcised men here to get circumcised, we have no choice but to do it.

“At times when boys grow older and they don’t want to take circumcision, we give them a traditional herb called Idyanyi either in porridge, local brew (Malwa) or in tea to inspire them and give them Dutch courage and a longing for circumcision,” Wamboga reveals.

Not so welcome
The incident has elicited an uproar amongst those who were targeted with majority of them asking the police to take action against Bagisu traditionalists.

Naphatal Okello, a resident of Namatala in Mbale Municipality who has been in Mbale for the last 38 years, says although the Bagisu are entitled to their culture, they should force others into accepting it by forcing them into circumcision.

“I wanted to get circumcised and I was circumcised by the Bagisu in 1992 in town but if somebody does not want to get circumcised, the Bagisu must respect his decision and let him go,” says Okello. Many community members around Mbale Municipality have condemned forceful circumcision as “barbaric” and want the people involved arrested and prosecuted for this.

“You can’t circumcise a man from Arua and claim you are cleansing, does this traditional cleansing hold any sense in his culture? The cultural practice of circumcision has nothing to do with any natural aptitude or prowess at all. It is a cultural peculiarity of a section of our country,” says Samuel Obbo, a businessman who fled the forceful circumcision recently.

Obbo emphasised that most of the tribes in Uganda do not circumcise, but the indigenous Bagisu and Sabiny do so. But the Karamojong pierce their lower lip, in Kenya the Pokomo eat a crocodile, and the Luo remove their teeth. “Do these practices have anything to do with manhood, wisdom, courage, intelligence or manhood? The Bagisu must respect other people’s cultures,” he said.

Although Police in Mbale arrested for surgeons and charged them with unlawful circumcision of non-Bagisu they were release them shortly on police bond, but serious action is yet to be taken.

The police spokesperson for Eastern, Diana Nandawula says “When we arrested these surgeons, we found that we had arrested an innocent group but those who did it remained at large. And the interrogation we carried out also revealed that most of the candidates forced into circumcision wanted it, so left the surgeons but as police we condemn forceful circumcision in the strongest term possible,” said Nandawula.

Although in Bugisu, the desire to be circumcised is believed be spiritually inspired; where the boys are allegedly influenced by the ancestral spirit of “imballu” many Bagisu have reportedly fled the region and taken refuge in other districts in fear, but these are usually followed up and circumcised.

The history
Circumcision ‘Imbalu’, a very old custom with a mysterious origin is the initiation of young men into adulthood by removing the fore skin of the penis.

A legend has it that the removal of the foreskin was initially a punishment meted out to a man who preyed on other men’s wives. However when the man recovered, he resumed his vice with such skill that other men followed suit.

Another legend according to elders here points at a Gishu ancestor who wanted to marry a Kalenjin girl from the Barwa clan of Kenya was asked to make a covenant of circumcision with this clan including his descendants. He loved the girl so much that he agreed.

So powerful is the tradition here today that a Gishu man who is not circumcised is usually forced to do it once the circumcision year starts.

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