Maa:Is there a connection between FGM and manhood?
Posted on October 14, 2009 by Saidimu Ole ngais
Ole kimiri discussed the question above on facebook(follow the link) and I though we should give it its all dimensions through elaborated discussions. Please give us your words.
Ole Kimirri comments;I believe there’s absolutely no relationship between being a warrior and your sister being cut; and stopping female circumcision is NOT a yardstick for measuring your warriornism. The campaign against FGM is a human right issue that demands consistence commitment from all stakeholders ranging from traditional elders, human rights advocacy civil societies to the government. We need to view it an emerging issue contrary to our male bias cultures
Below is my reaction
I am glad you responded to my previous article on FGM diminishing our manhood. I agree with you the whole way until the belief and relationship part. Everything else you have said is entirely correct in my perception as well. But, as you and I are aware, our Maasai society, (Men) warriors are the security providers, the defenders of the society. This unit is used to tell the “Other” that everything is safe here.
Warrior’s availability in the Maasai society reflects the wellbeing of the community but that is not possible without their women girls, mothers, as well as wives. That is in the old society. Today, things have changed and so we also ought to. Women can and should provide for themselves. We cannot live within the old system no more.
Women must be independent, yeah, so that they can seek jobs and provide for themselves or for their families without living on the man. What FGM does to us as warriors is that, it ridicule us in the face of the world that we stand by and watch as the RAZOR cuts of the most sensitive parts of our sister and take away their degrees, jobs, and many other RIGHTS and we call it culture.
The obstacle is, FGM, being mandated by sense of identity guarded by someone, takes away those fundamental rights from young girls the soonest they are CUT. From here, she is married hurriedly and forgotten. If she dropped out of school from class three like my sisters, they’ll most likely forget all about it since they are not always given a second chance. Culture through the RAZOR creeps in as the “Other” and slash off the horn of our Motherland as we neglect our call to defend our nation at all cost.
So, what have we done to our future, we have taken the root and chewed it thinking that the tree tops shall give fruits anyway. As warriors given the fact that we are the ministry of defense for Maasai, we would never allow an outsider to eat up the root of our tree! Our job as men in the (Maasai society) is to defend the community against violence, fraud and any theft.
Warriornism in this case is measured by the degree in which you are cable in protecting the rights of your women and child. Considering that a Nation is people, and people comes out of women but today’s world demands not just a population but a well informed population therefore, well informed mothers gives birth to a Nation full of potential! I belief that is why they normally say, Enkaji nakaibara suuj layiok! Even though we are modern now, we are still being called to defend our Nation.
The question is, if the female CUT is the greatest insider among the Maasai people?
Saidimu Ole Ngais
