From: f54oguocha@edison.usask.ca
Subject: RE: male circumcision (was Re: Female C
Organization: University of Saskatchewan
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 21:03:21 GMT

In a previous article, Jim Rosenfield <jnr@igc.apc.org> wrote:
> 
>In the US the exclusive right of the parents to make decisions for the
>child is being challenged in the courts where parents who inflict
>themselves on the children may have this privilege removed.  State
>authority may intervene in the case of child abuse or sexual
>molestation, or even where requested by the child.  recently a young
>teenage boy succesfully divorced his parents.  the unchallenged
>hegemony of parents over helpless children is being challenged.
>though some Africans feel this is not an appropriate subject to discuss,
>a matter too private or too African to allow others to observe,
>history will cause this view to fall.  as more and more people
>learn to read and have access to viewpoints outside their household,
>children will challenge the authority of their parents to
>damage them.
> 
>Is this a good thing or bad? what do you think?
> 
>Jim
Dear Jim,
   Circumcision was never brought to mother Africa by the West. This you
must get clear from the beginning. It's been part of many African cultures
for many, many centuries. It is not an abuse to Africans and I don't think
genuine Africans would like discuss the beliefs, psychology,and philosophy
associated with circumcision here since most of the commentators on the matter
have been playing with words or semantics. Contemporary Africans are educated 
enough to know whether circumcision is an abuse of the infants or not. And so,
don't expect that education would change one of the cultures we cherish most.
   The problem with the West is that they have lost control of their family
structure and discipline in the name of I know not what.And they want to export
their failure to other parts of the world, particulary third world countries.
This must be resisted by Africans at all cost. I don't have any iota of regret
about my infant circumcision and all my children were circumcised on the 
8th day of their birth according to the culture I inherited from my ancestors.
None of them has ever had any cause to regret the circumcision. And they are
educated. Circumcision is our culture and it must not be allowed to die just 
because the West has allowed theirs to die a natural death. We are all aware 
of the pains associated with circumcision but they don't last for ever. If the 
West do not frown at tatooing, I don't know why they should consider infant
circumcision or circumcision in general a nausea.
   Another point which you may as well take note of is that sexual abuse of
children is an abomination in Africa. It is not part of African culture. In
the West any person can have sexual relationship with anything and no one 
raises an eyebrow. It is all part their 'human right' charter. And many cults
here thrive on infant sex. In my village in Africa, any man or woman who is so
insane as to rape a minor or child is sent on exile for up to 2yrs and when he/
she returns from exile a lot of cleansing must be done before he/she can asso-
ciate with the villagers. Failing this, the person remains ostracised. I hope
this is not a violation of the person's fundamental human rights in the eyes of
the West. So Jim, Africans are not molesters of children. We may be poor in
material terms but we are not rotten spiritually. We still have some things we
can be proud of. And circumcision is one of them. Go to Africa and see for 
yourself that single parenthood which is the 'in thing' in the West has not
got many followers in Africa because it's not part of our culture. Those wester-
nised ladies who tried it could not get a single sympathiser and some had no
alternative but to evaporate without forwarding addresses. Well, if you want 
more light on African culture vis-a-vis western culture, I will recommend the 
following books: Weep Not Child(by James Ngugi), The African Child(Camara Lye??)
Things Fall Apart(Chinua Achebe), No longer At Ease(Chinua Achebe), Jaqua Nana
(Cyprain Ekwensi), The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born(Ayekwei Armah),& The
Village School(Anezi?? Okoro), just to name a few. 
 Thank you.