RIGHT OR WRONG-Culture vs.Pain
Article-"Blood, Fear and Ritual: Witness to Female Circumcision in Kenya" by Andrew Katz
Rites of passage are performed to signify that one is prepared for a stage in life. Example of some stages are independence, marriage, or parenthood. In America, a rite of passage could be getting driver’s license at the age of 16, graduating high school, or paying for rent. These stages may illustrate that the person is ready to be an adult. According to my source, young girls get circumcised to demonstrate that they are qualified to get married. Female genital mutation remains a popular act in Africa, Middle East, and other 30 countries. The act impacts the woman’s health tremendously, however the practice is still done to show the lack of control women have over their bodies. The article explains how female circumcision is performed as a ritual needed in a woman’s life in order to be happy even though the person going through the experience is not happy. The article shares the experience of two young Kenya girls getting circumcised. The author described the horrific event.
The author explains that the day prior to the actual cutting, the girls were hairless. All
their hair has been shaved off. Their body was cleaned with cow’s milk and the
girls must not show and emotions because they would be a disgrace to their
family. The parents would be recognized because their girls were about to “become
women”. On the day of the cutting, the act is performed in their house so that
they could get full recovery without any disturbance. The girls screamed out
with pain and agony once they got cut. Blood was everywhere. Animal blood and
products were given to the girls after the procedure to replace the blood loss.
To me and others who may not agree with the act may say the experience is
unfair, horrific, sad and painful. However, those who practice it totally
believe it is part of culture and tradition; it must be done to prepare their
young girls for womanhood. They do not believe it cause any health problems.
The
more I read about culture, tradition, female circumcision, believes, rites, and
rituals, it is hard for me to say I agree or disagree with the act. I am surprise
it is still done in some parts of the world but these people believe it is
needed for the women in their culture. Is that right, is it not right? It is a
difficult answer because there would bias during the process of answering this
question. Some people may still wonder why it is done, is it really necessary?
However these questions require thought.
To read the original article go to: http://time.com/3425529/blood-fear-and-ritual-witness-to-female-circumcision-in-kenya/
Source:
Katz, Andrew. "Blood, Fear and Ritual: Witness to Female Circumcision in Kenya." Time. Time, 6 Feb. 2014. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. <http://time.com/3425529/blood-fear-and-ritual-witness-to-female-circumcision-in-kenya/>.
Katz, Andrew. "Blood, Fear and Ritual: Witness to Female Circumcision in Kenya." Time. Time, 6 Feb. 2014. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. <http://time.com/3425529/blood-fear-and-ritual-witness-to-female-circumcision-in-kenya/>.
