The Role of Traditional Male Circumcision in Moral Transmission among African Communities

• Author(s): Anne Nekesa Wepukhulu
• Paper ID: 1705850
• Page: 484-489
• Published Date: 23-05-2024
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 7 Issue 11 May-2024

Abstract

Traditional male circumcision is a deeply rooted practice in various African cultures, serving as a pivotal rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. This paper explores the vital role that traditional male circumcision plays in transmitting moral values and preparing initiates for adulthood in African communities, with a particular focus on the Bukusu ethnic group of western Kenya. The study employs a qualitative approach, primarily relying on secondary sources such as ethnographic accounts, anthropological studies, and scholarly articles. The analysis examines the general pattern and stages of traditional male circumcision rites in Africa, the moral and educational aspects embedded in the separation, transition, and reintegration phases, and the specific moral values and lessons imparted to Bukusu initiates during the circumcision ritual. The paper also investigates how modernization has impacted the moral transmission role of Bukusu circumcision. The findings suggest that traditional male circumcision serves a crucial function in passing on moral values and transforming boys into responsible adults in African communities. The Bukusu case illustrates how the rite cultivates virtues such as courage, discipline, and respect. However, modernizing influences have undermined but not eliminated the moral significance of the practice. The paper concludes by offering recommendations for preserving and documenting the moral education dimensions of traditional circumcision, adapting the ritual to changing times while maintaining its core character-building elements, and conducting further research on the effects of modernization on circumcision's moral transmission role.

Keywords

Traditional Male Circumcision, Moral Transmission, Bukusu

Citations

IRE Journals:
Anne Nekesa Wepukhulu "The Role of Traditional Male Circumcision in Moral Transmission among African Communities" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 7 Issue 11 2024 Page 484-489

IEEE:
Anne Nekesa Wepukhulu "The Role of Traditional Male Circumcision in Moral Transmission among African Communities" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 7(11)