Opinion / Columnist
Africa is full of contradictions; Qwabe twins are still VIRGINS at 26 years!
2 hrs ago | Views
Seeing their photo on Bulawayo24 today, I wonder what is cultural, and traditional about these twins? This photo shoot looks like big German barbies on sale. There is nothing that tells me that these girls are from Zululand, but nearer to the marketing of Barbis made of plastic in German children's shops. The striking irony in the message about virginity to be proud about, defeats the culture purported to uphold. The Qwabe twins have colour skin white in complexion: their hair is white and straight, the preferred colour skin of some black woman in Africa; the dress code is Hollywood. We do not see the virginity in them because it is hidden inside the genitalia. They sell this tasteless contradiction to us as a pure cultural example of a perfect and well brought up Zulu girl and to envy them. The glorification of perfect girls must be virgins and give example to growing girls: perfidious and dishonest: absurdity of the highest order. My question is, what is this message meant convey; is it to shame and disgrace girls who are not virgins?
African societies have serious cultural contradictions: The fate of babies, toddlers, young girls is horrendous, be it in South Africa, Zimbabwe and the rest of the continent, its brutal. What is happening to the young girls in African societies is unimaginable by commonsense because commonsense is no longer common. Reading newspapers in South and Zimbabwe daily will give one a brain spasm: its mostly about rape on babies, toddlers, children, and our young women because men want to treat their HIV/AIDS. Every 5 minutes girls are raped in South Africa; every 90 minutes a child or a young woman is raped in Zimbabwe. In West African countries, millions of babies, toddlers, children are genitally cut every day. How many children have succumbed to rape and genital cutting. When they died, the cause of death is hidden under the carpet by the very mothers and grandmothers who would have genitally cut them. Can it even be possible to prove the virginity of a girl after she was raped? How do they categorize girls who have been raped or genitally cut to still be called virgins, like the Qwabe girls? Or will she be sentenced by a moral criminal court by not being a virgin at 26 years? Who gives anyone permission to do virginity testing on young girls? They are testing full-blown girls of marriageable age, 26 years, supposed to be married by global standards. But in this case, they gloat about their virginity openly to get Zulu cultural recognition and envy.
How insensitive can it go to proudly gloat and show-off your virginity under harsh realities on the ground? Is it possible to gloat about virginity in societies that literally ravages the bodies of babies, toddlers, children, young women every day? How cynical are our societies, putting shame on the most vulnerable in our communities? The fault is not only men alone who rape girls: women are equally worse when it comes to destroying the innocent lives and souls of African girls. Recently there was an article on Bulawayo 24 whose pic was showing Zulu girls dancing the famous reed dance. Interestingly, they dance showing off openly their G-string underwear's. What is traditional about G-strings? The reed dance is praised far and wide, even in Matabeleland communities; how does one aspect of Zulu traditions still exists to this day? Showing of breasts of young girls should be the pride of today's preservation of a Zulu culture is mind boggling. Can looking at half-dressed young girls be entertainment in today's world?
How many nations are removing their medieval cultures and traditions, and are embracing modernity and progress? African societies are lacking behind on developmental necessary to drive communities forward. Communities should be proud about literacy development and empowerment of young Zulu girls to reach their potential. Culture is dynamic, and it should change with time. When African societies cling to traditions of virginity testing, genital cutting of girls in most cases they continue with these traditions to spite the Caucasians: it is some defiance to mean; we are proud of our traditions. Deep down in their hearts, they would want to eradicate the tradition; talk about cutting the nose to spite the face, subjecting young girls to traditions that remove the dignity in growing up girls.
The same goes with genital cutting of girls: they are perpetuated to spite western cultures that look down upon girl-circumcision. Removing medieval practices that reduce women and girls should never be seen within the lenses of colonialism and coloniality, but it must be understood within the permanent health aspects of genital cutting. Women who underwent the genital cutting have serious health issues they must deal with the rest of their lives. To a certain extent, girl-circumcision is meant to neutralize sexuality in women. It is the man who should enjoy sexual intercourse. The pain of circumcision is permanent. Many mothers die at birth due to bleeding and serious other birth complications. The cutting of the clitoris carries a permanent pain. Virginity testing and dancing of girls naked in the presence of all in the community becomes a lesser evil in comparison to genital cutting. The same mother who suffers consequences of genital cutting will let her daughter to suffer the same fate. That is inconceivable, but it happens. What a contradiction!
Genital cutting of girls happens in Germany and Europe too, becoming a lucrative business. Mothers from Africa bring their girls for circumcision to European countries. Their argument is that a girl clinically circumcised in Europe has lesser chance of dying. African mothers know that when they come to claim asylum in Europe, they can use a statute in the Geneva convention that stipulates an African woman running away from her country for reasons of genital cutting of her daughter, gets protection on the spot. Curiously, the same mother will take her daughter for genital cutting in Portugal or France and comes back to Germany. (In Germany it criminally forbidden to genital cut a girl-child by whoever). She will have fulfilled the tradition of girl-circumcision. There are medical doctors out there in some EU countries who make lucrative business from girl-circumcision. Women activists are found wanting in eradicating virginity testing, genital cutting of girls, and other cultural forms that reduce all dignity in a girl, already a deprivileged niche.
African societies have serious cultural contradictions: The fate of babies, toddlers, young girls is horrendous, be it in South Africa, Zimbabwe and the rest of the continent, its brutal. What is happening to the young girls in African societies is unimaginable by commonsense because commonsense is no longer common. Reading newspapers in South and Zimbabwe daily will give one a brain spasm: its mostly about rape on babies, toddlers, children, and our young women because men want to treat their HIV/AIDS. Every 5 minutes girls are raped in South Africa; every 90 minutes a child or a young woman is raped in Zimbabwe. In West African countries, millions of babies, toddlers, children are genitally cut every day. How many children have succumbed to rape and genital cutting. When they died, the cause of death is hidden under the carpet by the very mothers and grandmothers who would have genitally cut them. Can it even be possible to prove the virginity of a girl after she was raped? How do they categorize girls who have been raped or genitally cut to still be called virgins, like the Qwabe girls? Or will she be sentenced by a moral criminal court by not being a virgin at 26 years? Who gives anyone permission to do virginity testing on young girls? They are testing full-blown girls of marriageable age, 26 years, supposed to be married by global standards. But in this case, they gloat about their virginity openly to get Zulu cultural recognition and envy.
How insensitive can it go to proudly gloat and show-off your virginity under harsh realities on the ground? Is it possible to gloat about virginity in societies that literally ravages the bodies of babies, toddlers, children, young women every day? How cynical are our societies, putting shame on the most vulnerable in our communities? The fault is not only men alone who rape girls: women are equally worse when it comes to destroying the innocent lives and souls of African girls. Recently there was an article on Bulawayo 24 whose pic was showing Zulu girls dancing the famous reed dance. Interestingly, they dance showing off openly their G-string underwear's. What is traditional about G-strings? The reed dance is praised far and wide, even in Matabeleland communities; how does one aspect of Zulu traditions still exists to this day? Showing of breasts of young girls should be the pride of today's preservation of a Zulu culture is mind boggling. Can looking at half-dressed young girls be entertainment in today's world?
The same goes with genital cutting of girls: they are perpetuated to spite western cultures that look down upon girl-circumcision. Removing medieval practices that reduce women and girls should never be seen within the lenses of colonialism and coloniality, but it must be understood within the permanent health aspects of genital cutting. Women who underwent the genital cutting have serious health issues they must deal with the rest of their lives. To a certain extent, girl-circumcision is meant to neutralize sexuality in women. It is the man who should enjoy sexual intercourse. The pain of circumcision is permanent. Many mothers die at birth due to bleeding and serious other birth complications. The cutting of the clitoris carries a permanent pain. Virginity testing and dancing of girls naked in the presence of all in the community becomes a lesser evil in comparison to genital cutting. The same mother who suffers consequences of genital cutting will let her daughter to suffer the same fate. That is inconceivable, but it happens. What a contradiction!
Genital cutting of girls happens in Germany and Europe too, becoming a lucrative business. Mothers from Africa bring their girls for circumcision to European countries. Their argument is that a girl clinically circumcised in Europe has lesser chance of dying. African mothers know that when they come to claim asylum in Europe, they can use a statute in the Geneva convention that stipulates an African woman running away from her country for reasons of genital cutting of her daughter, gets protection on the spot. Curiously, the same mother will take her daughter for genital cutting in Portugal or France and comes back to Germany. (In Germany it criminally forbidden to genital cut a girl-child by whoever). She will have fulfilled the tradition of girl-circumcision. There are medical doctors out there in some EU countries who make lucrative business from girl-circumcision. Women activists are found wanting in eradicating virginity testing, genital cutting of girls, and other cultural forms that reduce all dignity in a girl, already a deprivileged niche.
Source - Nomazulu Thata
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