ONLYONAP Circumcision of boys continues in Kenya amid virus скачать в хорошем качестве

ONLYONAP Circumcision of boys continues in Kenya amid virus

(26 Aug 2020) Kenya's local custom of circumcising young boys continues in the midst of a global pandemic, despite schools being closed and the government urging its citizens to stay away from large gatherings. Among the Luhya tribe in western Kenya, and in particular its subtribe the Bukusu, the ritual takes place over several days of initiating the teenage boys into manhood. Despite the dangers associated with the spread of COVID-19, the Bukusu have decided to keep their tradition alive by ignoring government's directives to stay safe and postpone the ceremony. Peter Kadenge is a seasoned traditional circumciser. He starts by preparing his knives and tools along with his helpers. Together they then pray to the gods to seek guidance on how the process will go by offering a chicken as a sacrifice. They study the movement of the chicken from which they can predict which way forward. This year the chicken shows that everything is good to go and they have the permission of the gods. "We have decided that no child will sleep without having been circumcised. We have to circumcise the children according to our Bukusu tradition," said Kadenge. As the day nears the boys gather in the local village square where every villager comes to encourage them. They sing traditional folk songs while dancing to show their bravery. In the evening each boy will be led to their uncle's home who does some rituals to bless and advise the boy on what is expected of them after circumcision. A cow is slaughtered and the insides of the stomach are smeared on the young teen's face by his uncle as others in the crowd continue to cheer him on to accept his new manhood and bid farewell to the boy.   The smearing is actually washing the childhood off the boy and preparing him for the next stage of life. He is then gowned a piece of the cow's stomach around the neck. This signifies he is ready. Mike Simiyu, 13, is seen going through the process while his family and village continue to celebrate into the night.   "This is a very important process in the life of every man in the Luhya community, more so the Bukusu community", Dan Wanyama, a member of Kenyan Parliament for Bungoma County said. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...