The Doomed Genitals!!!

Most of my life, I have been the perfect spectator, watching things from the sideline. I admit of my complacency, my failure to voice my opinion, and my reluctance to point out what’s being done in a wrong way. I have silently been watching the debate rage on; allowed people of mediocre thinking carry the day. Sometimes I wish I were not born in this beautiful country. The hatred being exhibited by my fellow countrymen, the mediocre, blind allegiance to a lost cause sometimes makes me nauseated. I cannot understand why people take sadistic pleasure in mocking, in playing God and in portraying an image of a mortal without blemish.

That being said, I know a majority of us have been brainwashed to believe that “being tribal” is okay. They have been fallaciously taught to draw lines, look at people from a tribal spectrum rather than their abilities. Today, I'm going to look at a rather emotive issue; the issue of circumcision. I know there are those who would rather nip it in the bud and discuss it in undertones. We have fallaciously been led to believe that somehow the removal of the foreskin makes someone wise, mature and better placed to make better decisions. Being a “Kihii” has been seen as a mortal sin, a crime befitting ridicule with the strongest of terms.

Those with a foreskin are looked upon as lesser men, outcasts in a society where tribalism is a way of life. From an early stage, the seeds of tribalism are sown in us. Our homes become our first encounter with tribalism. You introduce a friend to your parents as Isaac or Dionisia and your parents go ahead to ask you what their second names are. When you give in and say that they are Kerubo or Omondi, the ton of advice that follows is the stuff that movies are made of. All of a sudden you are told why it’s not good to hang out with Luos. You get tribal 101 lessons on why Luos are uncircumcised and never think beyond their penis. They are the rightful holders of the doomed genitals.

You are lectured on why you should avoid the kisiis like a leach. Apparently they are witches, they have a bad eye, and they practice witchcraft and so on and so forth. We live in a nation whereby the sound of your surname can get you a job, can bring upon you unprintable abuses and even get you discriminated. Having been raised up by parents who were from different tribes, I simply do not agree with the whole hullabaloo about circumcision. Yes, one of my parents comes from a community that has largely been associated with not being circumcised. The other comes from a community that believes circumcision is the only rite of passage to manhood.

Yes, even now as an adult, the sound of my name is enough for someone to judge me whether I'm circumcised or not. The very fact that I have a certain surname means that my genitals are doomed, that I am lesser of a person. My great grandfather was uncircumcised and married many wives. That did not hinder him from becoming a chief and wisely leading his subjects for many years. The fact that he was uncircumcised did not deter him from siring bright and intelligent children. I know some are now raging deep inside wondering how I could justify a man with a foreskin. The truth is we are all products of the environment. We react to our environment. Do you think it’s by default that majority of the Luos are not circumcised? Do you think it’s by default that Pokots and even the Kisiis circumcised there women? Of course not!

Sometimes, the environment you are born in plays a major role in who become. That being said, the whole debate about circumcision is farfetched. Yeah! It makes sense to be circumcised! It’s both healthy and hygiene and is therefore a good thing. However, what I disagree with is the culture of looking down upon those people who are uncircumcised. The despicable things we say, the disrespect we show to such people is simply out of context. There is no such thing as the doomed genitals. It’s a fallacy! This is the same kind of herd mentality that almost saw our country burning; the very belief that our tribes should come first and our country second. I have dated Kikuyus almost all my life. I never saw them as chicken fuckers, wife batterers or high tempered as the stereotypes put it.

I have been friends with Kisiis, been best friends with the Kambas but never have I experienced what is fallaciously propagated by people who have nothing better to do. And by the way, what business does a man have with a fellow man who is not circumcised? I thought it’s the women who should be shouting the loudest! I mean, if his wife or girlfriend is okay with it, where do you come in? Let’s strive to exorcise the demons of tribalism, embrace harmonious living and realize that we are worth more than our physical appearance. With or without a foreskin we both have a role to play in the society. And for those who are wondering whether I am circumcised or not, please feel free to ask my woman! I rest my case.