From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:ZIMBABWE: MEN TAKE APHRODISIACS TO DEMONSTRATE VIRILITY
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 22:17:54 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Asia, southern
Title: ZIMBABWE: MEN TAKE APHRODISIACS TO DEMONSTRATE VIRILITY


an inter press service feature

by andrew zhakata

zvimba, zimbabwe, dec 23 (ips) -- to people not familiar with
nhamo muzengeni's speciality, the signpost at his home might be
misleading.

the signpost -- ''bring your flat batteries for a recharge''
-- beckons men from all walks of life to muzengeni's home at
madzorera village, about 100 km west of the capital, harare, for
aphrodisiacs to restore or increase their sex drives.

''taking aphrodisiacs is like recharging a car battery'',
says a proud 62-year-old muzengeni who attends to more than 150
men per week. ''if your sex life loses its harmony you have to
recharge it by taking potions for potency''.

muzengeni, a member of the zimbabwe national traditional
healers association (zinatha), has been administering
aphrodisiacs for over 15 years and has various types to suit
each of his client's needs.

charges for the aphrodisiacs range between 10 and 25 zimbabwe
dollars (about two and five u.s. dollars), depending on the
nature of one's impotence.

a person who fails to have an erection after the first round
is given the most potent potion, ''zesa'', the acronym for the
zimbabwe electricity supply authority.

''with zesa's power, one's sex drive is jolted into life and
one feels like doing it all night long'', explains muzengeni
with a chuckle.

persons who want to make their penises hard and stiff have
''chipikiri'' (nail) and ''vhuka-vhuka''(constant erection) at
their disposal.

the aphrodisiacs are prepared from roots and leaves of
several herbs and shrubs which, according to muzengeni, contain
a salty substance that induces a sexual desire.

''chipikiri'' and ''vhuka-vhuka'' are administered in powder
form and one can take them in beverages like beer, soft drinks,
tea and ''maheu'' (home brewed drink prepared from millet and
maize meal).

''but to get zesa, one has to mix the roots and leaves with
bovine trotters and cook them in an earthenware pot all-day long
to produce a thick soup. if you take a cupful of this soup you
will not need a recharge for a year'', muzengeni told ips.
(more/ips)


zimbabwe: men (2)

steve mavi, a research technician at the harare herbarium and
botanic garden, says aphrodisiacs are very popular with african
men and there are over 67 aphrodisiac species in zimbabwe.

a survey carried out in 1985 by mavi and the university of
zimbabwe on zinatha's 40,000 members shows most men consulted
for aphrodisiacs and a remedy to impotence.

mavi, who has spent 20 years dealing with aphrodisiac
species, says apart from taking aphrodisiacs as a remedy for
impotence or for sexual pleasure, african men also take them to
demonstrate their virility.

aphrodisiacs are also selling like hot cakes in towns and
cities of zimbabwe. scores of herbalists peddle aphrodisiacs at
harare's mbare market and at beerhall entrances.

at mbengo mlambo's stall in mbare market, several huge
bottles sparkle with aphrodisiac concoctions, with stickers
reading: ''take one of these and give your partner the sexual
pleasure she deserves''.

however, mlambo, whose clients include zimbabwean men and
foreign tourists, says there is widespread abuse of the potions
by some teenagers and youngmen who have an overdose before going
to nightclubs to pick up prostitutes.

''a teaspoonful is enough, but these youngmen take more than
six, saying they want to get their money's worth when they make
love to prostitutes'', says mlambo who earns an average of 60
u.s. dollars a week from aphrodisiacs sales.

''but excessive aphrodisiac can render a man impotent, too'',
says mlambo.

in the past, says mlambo, aphrodisiacs were only meant for
impotent men and polygamists who had to take it to satisfy
their many wives sexually.

a leader of a harare-based women's organisation, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, admits that aphrodisiacs are a mainstay
of the african culture but wants them abolished.

''aphrodisiacs encourage rape and promote the notion by men
that women are their sex objects. god gave us natural feelings
and one must not look for artificial means to exploit other
people'', she says. (end/ips/az/apc/92)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african