Clitorectomy

Traditional Roots

As a powerful cosmological-spiritual force, the scholar Cheikh Anta Diop demonstrated the link of the practice to that of ancient Egypt (Kmt) and the remainder of Africa. African Gods directed the rite of circumcision. For example, among the Yoruba in Nigeria, the God most associated with circumcision is Ogun. In traditional Africa, clitorectomy was performed for social as well as spiritual reasons; the practice denoted that the female was making a transformation into womanhood. The practice was instituted at the onset of puberty, incorporating two age ranges for the female candidates: 7 to 15 years and 15 to 19 years.

Other spiritual notations reveal that the practice was related to the duality of males and females and the need for gender differentiation. Therefore, clitorectomy functioned to eliminate the male aspect in females. It reinforced the cos-mological ideas that acknowledged the dual or androgynous nature of the Gods. The act was much more than an operation on the flesh, removing what are considered the traits of the opposite [Page 171]sex; without it, people could not marry or have socially sanctioned sexual activities, nor could they have access to the secret or hidden information that gave them the right to function as adults.

Thus, clitorectomy symbolized the death of the girl and the emergence or rebirth of a new person—the woman. As a result, females were believed to experience greater fertility and more live births. As a spiritual ritual, clitorectomy ceremonies were performed as a significant rite of passage for females. It has been described as an archetypical activity of the ideal feminine. Clitorectomy was considered a highly meaningful act that signified the sacred symbolism of feminine fertility. It was generally performed in sacred ceremonies by traditional female healer/practitioners or wives who held high social status.

Some contemporary societies, however, have provided for clitorectomy to be performed by licensed medical personnel in hospitals and clinics. Finally, the importance of traditional African circumcision rituals is indicated in literature, art, and music, and the origins of circumcision are found in many of the creation narratives of African societies. In one Yoruba creation narrative, the story of Ogun and Olure, marriage and procreation were facilitated through female circumcision.

Social Context

It has been suggested that over time the major religions external to traditional African societies have contributed significantly to social and cultural reinterpretations of the meaning of the existing practice. For example, circumcision as a practice in some African societies may have fused Christianity with traditional ancient ideas about spiritual purification. In societies where patriarchy is the predominant social and political system, clitorectomy is sustained. Some of the social reasons for practicing clitorectomy today include the effort to ensure premarital chastity (virginity) among females. It was also believed that the practice would help females maintain fidelity during marriage. In addition, because of social demands, both men and women believe that female circumcision would increase a woman's marriage opportunities. It has also been suggested that females who undergo circumcision are viewed as courageous members of their communities because of the pain associated with the procedure. Furthermore, in societies that valued fecundity, clitorectomy was thought to reverse patterns of childlessness.

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