OF 'FORESKIN POLITICS' AND THE QUEST FOR TRUE KENYANNESS

Turkana Traditional Dance

Welcome to Kenya's 'foreskin politics', cultural diversity and the quest for a unifying body of believes.

I have in so many occasions listened to - and seen people - discussing and seeking to establish the links between circumcision (for men) and how this impacts and/or elevates a man to a superior being in all human dimensions and respects.

A good number of these "debates" normally end up with one solid but lopsided conclusion: that intelligence and leadership is tied to foreskin. That presence of foreskin "reduces a man's capability to lead".

And more recently, we have seen cases where leaders come out forcefully - in public forums - to lend support to this assertion. As a result, we have a new guiding philosophy in the land. The philosophy of "foreskin politics". The belief in the "nakedness" of a man’s “manness”. It is slowly gaining ground, knocking the forces of reason on its way up. Will it succeed? Let’s dig deep.

The truthfulness of this thinking rests eternally challenged. I have several reasons to drive my point home.

Removal, or otherwise, of foreskin is grounded on a people's way of life. This is what we commonly refer to as culture or the practices of those who came before us. 

Cultures are as diverse and broad as the people. It is simply an outer marking of what a group of people believes in, stands for and elevates as the "only way". It is not limitless. It is subject to the people who "possess" it. For others, this is just but a passing cloud with no significance or bearing on them. Its application only revolves around the possessing group of people.

This opens the way to the second stone. How can we reconcile all these diverse ways of the people? The lawyers would prescribe this as a case that calls for the rule of law. A sort of an invisible bridge that connects our cultural extremes and create a common ground above all our personal, communal, religious or tribal inclinations.

But I tend to drift away from this. I think humans as beings of reason, have a permanent answer to this question. The answer is inseparable from them. We hold the key!

It is simple. Respect for ones culture is a precondition for respecting cultures and ways of others irrespective of how different and "bad" they may look like. This is how cross-cultural links are established and developed. 

The opposite of this is a product of cultural-tribal bigotry that finds solace in cornering and badmouthing the ways of lives of others. Cultural superiority breeds social inferiority. Its end result is tragic. It is a pointer to a fractured society whose foundation is anchored on quick sand. It is spiced with hatred.

Again, I am yet to read any scientific material affirming (or in any way justifying) the link between intelligence and leadership credentials to circumcised men. 

To start with, the markings, protrusions or the size of our bodies do not in any way reflect the intelligence we possess. Intelligence is, above all things, man's capacity to create links with fellow humans with a view to fostering co-operation for inclusive discourse and development.

The opposite of this is barbarism. Barbarism is premised on blind norms and practices that seek to define others as bad and not up to the "accepted level". It prides itself as the best, the only one... that all people must follow without question. And foreskin politics is one of the many manifestations of barbarism.

I am afraid the proponents of this stand might be the first people to oppose any suggestion to "inspect men's trousers to ascertain their foreskin status." 

Ring-fenced and housed under one roof, it is evident that the forty-two plus communities calling Kenya home cannot hold together if we resort to imposing on each other what we think is better and acceptable to us.

To do this is to transform Kenya into a barbaric and intolerant enclave in a land mass that respects cultural diversity and heritage. It is akin to killing the soul of a nation and still expect its people to live in harmony with each other. It is farcical.

How easy and quick can one break up the fabric of a people if it is not by tearing into the very principles and believes they hold dear? It takes a loose-tongued, empty-headed fellow to set the nation aflame.

The quest for true Kenyanness should, in my opinion, be centered on the need to appreciate others and respect their identity, believes and customs. To achieve this, we must be ready to quarantine and permanently isolate the propagators of foreskin politics. After all, we are the ones to receive the shock of its existence and growth. The choice is ours.

Lemukol Ng’asike is an Architect. Twitter: @mlemukol. Email: lemoseh89@gmail.com