Bagisu Circumsicion Ceremony

---

Bagisu Circumsicion Ceremony

August 11, 2008

Today we went to watch and take part in the Bagisu Circumsicion ceremony.

The history of the Bagisu circumsicion ceremonies is not that clear. It is a coming of age right for men between the ages of 15 to 26. It only takes place on even numbered years in and around the month of August. The festivities start several weeks in advance in order to prepare the young men for what is about to come. A young man from each district is selected via a voting system to be circumsized on the opening day of the ceremony. Each person that is to be circumsized is paraded to various family memeber's home in search of approval. During the actual procedure, the young men are not allowed show or exhibit any sign of pain. Once the foreskin is removed, the newly appionted man throws his arms up in the air and starts yelling to signal his passage into manhood. He is then paraded to his father's house were he is fed for 3 days by his family members. On the third day, his hands are ritually washed. This signifies the end of the man's journey into manhood.

For the past week, all around town we have seen men in procession like groups. Each with a member whose face was plastered with millet and water. The significance of this is that when the face is painted white, it means that, that particular man has been marked for circumcision. He is surrounded by other people, usually other men, who offer encouragement in the form instrumental noise, guttural vocalizations, yelling and cheering.

On the day of the ceremony, we were driven to a predetermined ceremony ground just outside of Mbale. The TASO van had a difficult time weaving its way through the throngs of people at the site. The vehicle stopped just outside of the ceremony arena. When we got out, people swarmed us from all different directions. Right away, a group of people started singing and dancing right in our faces. One of them was a candidate. It was nerve racking at first, but after a few minutes that initial feeling of panic dissipated.

After another few minutes of disorientation we were hearded into the main ceremony arena. In my entire life, I have never felt more like a specimen under a microscope. The arena was just a dirt field that had been fenced off by wooden beams. The size of the field would be the approximate size of a junior football field. Thousands of people surrounded the outside of the arena while specials quests, mzungus and other paying visitors got to enter into the middle of the field. Though I am sure that the people on the outside were as interested or more so of the candidates that were seated inside I still felt like I had a thousand eyes on me.

For the next hour or so, I sat, mingled and snapped off shots of the candidates and of the spectators in attendance. But during that hour, I was not as happy as I should have been. The reason why was clear enough. As I waited for the dancing competition to begin, I began to feel embarrased by my presence there. As I watched the other mzungus milling about, I witnessed alot of demeaning things. At least in my eyes, that was how it felt. All over the place I saw white people going up to the young candidates and snapping off photos right in front of their faces as though they were statues, even touching them to further promote their mannequin like appearance.Though we were told that it was okay to take pictures, it still did not feel right.

As the dancing competitions began, the groups of boys would start stopping the ground. The cow bells around their legs would jingle to the rhythm of their dancing. But as the dancing grew to a close, the crowd on the other side of the barrier started to rush into the field signaling that the first circumsicion was about to begin. When we first realized that something was amiss, we all quickly got to our feet. But by that time, there was no room to move. People were pushing and shoving each other to get to the center of the field. If there had been a spark, that place would have become dangerous within seconds. In our attempt to get out of there, Lindsey and I got split up. However, Meiti and I were still together and teamed up to get out in one piece. We were able to make it to the van safely enough, but driving out of the ceremony site was another matter all together. Mass amounts of people were on the streets cheering their candidates on. For a few minutes, I was apprehensive amount the trip back because, there were men with various sticks and clubs in an already hightened state of emotion. Thankfully we were able to get home safe and sound. When we arrived back at TASO, staff members continually asked us how we did and if we were alright.

We all had wished to be able to see the actual "cutting" but the circumstances did not allow for it....

---

Comments

[Limmer]

Pictures
Oh ya, I forgot to tell you that I uploaded more photos!