News
Africa: Virginity, Potency Tests, Sexual Cleaning: Strange Tradition Still In Practice
Before contact with the white, Africa was at the same level of development with any other continent, including civilization.
The tradition of African countries alone is a multi-million dollar industry if properly harnessed.
But slave trade and colonisation has made the continent a shadow of itself despite it’s rich culture.
But there are still traditions that are still in practice which many could see as oddward despite the fact that the continent is filled with a lot of interesting, fascinating and sometimes unimaginable things that one cannot process.
Where customs like Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria and Ghana are no longer as common as they used to be, certain cultural rituals are still in practice.
Read some strange sexual traditions that are still in practised in Africa
Virginity testing (South Africa)
Locally known as Umhlanga, virginity testing is a popular tradition in South Africa, especially among the Zulu ethnic group who reside mainly in KwaZulu Natal province.
The actual testing is done in an isolated room using bare hands. The girl, who is being tested, lay down on her back with her legs wide open.
The tester then opens her vagina with both hands and looks inside, apparently to see the girl’s hymen is intact. If all is well, the girl is given a virginity certificate.
Sexual cleansing (Malawi, Zambia, Kenya)
This popular custom is practised in rural Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, and other African countries. Locally referred to as “Kusasa Fumbi,” it involves a woman having unprotected sex with a man called a “hyena.”
This person could be a professional male sex worker, a selected future husband, a widow’s brother-in-law or someone paid by the woman’s family.
It is carried out on three separate occasions – when a girl gets her first menstrual period when a married woman loses her husband, or after an abortion.
The traditional custom is meant to help girls become good wives.
Potency Test (Uganda)
Carried out by the Banyankole tribe in Uganda is a practice similar to the virginity test. Unlike the latter carried out by women, this is done before marriage to the groom.
It requires an aunt of the bride to confirm the potency of the husband to be by actually having sex with him. The bride and groom are only allowed to consummate their marriage if he passes the test.
The test might also include the aunts watching or listening as the newlyweds have sexual intercourse.
Wife stealing (Niger, Senegal, Cameroon)
This is an annual ritual practised by the Wodaabe tribe, a subgroup of the Fulani ethnic group.
Here, women are allowed to have as many husbands as they wish. They are required to pick their preferred mates from a group of men who put on a spectacular mating dance hoping to be selected.
Women can have sex with any mate as she pleases before finally settling on the right one.
The Association of Scavengers, Scrap Dealers, and Recyclers, Abuja, has publicly dissociated itself from a Federal High Court suit filed by unregistered scavengers and beggars against the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the association’s chairman, Mallam Muntari Mohammed, clarified that the group is a duly registered body, with members holding valid identity cards and engaging in legitimate waste management, scrap trading, and recycling businesses.
He stressed that the association has always complied with the FCT Administration’s rules and regulations, maintaining a clean record.
Muntari noted that the association had formally written to the Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant agencies to affirm its commitment to safeguarding critical infrastructure and adhering to stipulated guidelines.
He distanced the group from unregistered scavengers, whom he accused of tarnishing the reputation of legitimate operators through theft and other illicit activities.
The chairman addressed the FCT Minister’s recent ban on scavenging, which stemmed from misunderstandings about the distinction between honest scavengers and rogue elements.
“We have never confronted the FCT authorities and will never do so,” Muntari said, emphatically dissociating the association from the court case against Wike.
The Vatican has confirmed that only one round of voting will take place this Wednesday afternoon as the conclave to elect the next pope officially gets underway.
Cardinals from around the world gathered earlier Wednesday in the Sistine Chapel, where they took a sacred oath of secrecy before the chapel doors were ceremonially closed with the Latin phrase “extra omnes,” meaning “everyone out.” The papal master of ceremonies then declared the start of the conclave, invoking a centuries-old tradition whose name comes from the Latin cum clave, meaning “locked with key.”
Wednesday’s solitary ballot marked the opening step in the process to choose the new leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics. Should the vote prove inconclusive requiring a two-thirds majority to elect a new pope, cardinals will resume the process on Thursday, casting up to four ballots daily until consensus is reached.
Each cardinal votes by writing “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (“I elect as Supreme Pontiff”) on a paper ballot, followed by the name of their chosen candidate. In a quiet and orderly procession, they approach the silver and gilded urn in order of seniority to place their ballots.
As the final vote is cast, the tension rises in St. Peter’s Square, where the faithful and millions watching around the globe await the first sign of smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney. Black smoke will indicate that no decision has been made; white smoke will proclaim that a new pope has been elected.
The last two conclaves, in 2005 and 2013, ended on the second day, with Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis elected after a series of swift ballots, respectively.
As the doors remain closed and Vatican cameras withdraw, the world waits in hushed anticipation for the next chapter in the history of the Catholic Church to be written.
Governor Hyacinth Alia will not honour the House of Representatives Committee invitation scheduled for Thursday, May 8.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, confirmed this to journalists on Wednesday in Makurdi.
The House had summoned the governors of Benue and Zamfara, alongside their Assembly leadership.
Kula stated that the invitation is unconstitutional and the governor will not comply with it.
He explained that Alia has filed a case at the Supreme Court challenging the lawmakers’ invitation.
“Yesterday, the Benue Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the Reps Committee invitation.
“They believe the invitation is based on ignorance and have decided not to attend. They will also challenge it in court,” he said.
Kula added that the governor, independently, has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the invitation’s legality.
He said: “Since the matter is in court, I will not speak further on it.”
Kula also claimed that the civil society group behind the petition is faceless and unregistered.
According to him, the address on the group’s letterhead is fake and lacks credibility.
He said there is a coordinated campaign of misinformation and sponsored protests aimed at destabilising Benue.
In recent weeks, he noted, there have been protests in Abuja allegedly representing Benue people’s concerns.
“These protests aim to provoke a state of emergency in Benue by portraying it in a negative light,” he said.
He claimed the organisers seek to undermine progress and return to a failed political order.
“Their ultimate goal is to create chaos for selfish political gain,” Kula added.
He accused the protest sponsors of trying to remove the governor through disruptive means.
“They will not succeed. Benue people stand firmly with their governor,” he said.
He assured the public that Benue remains peaceful and the government is functioning effectively.
“Governor Alia is committed to fulfilling his mandate and addressing the state’s challenges,” he said. (NAN)