Africa is filled with a lot of interesting, fascinating and variety of culture and rich tradition but it also has a bunch of ‘weird’ s3xual customs that have for some time now been courting controversy.
Though customs like Female Genital Mutilation in Ghana is no longer as common as they used to be but certain rituals have refused to go away.
Here are four strange s3xual traditions many believe should be banned in Africa.
S3xual cleansing
Locally referred to as Kusasa Fumbi, this tradition is practised in several African countries, such as Malawi, Zambia, and Kenya.
Under this ritual, young girls are required to have s3x with paid male s3x workers, locally known as “hyenas,” after receiving their first menstrual period, becoming widowed or after having an abortion.
The s3xual cleansing tradition can last for three days. Girls are taken to a secluded place where they spend three days learning different aspects of womanhood, including how to please a man.
On the last day, a “hyena” is invited to cleanse the initiates. Locals believe the practice prevents diseases.
In 2016, the practice made headlines after news site BBC exposed a man who was hired to sleep with girls.
Eric Aniva was HIV positive and said to have s3xually cleansed over 100 women and girls.
Since then, many activists have been campaigning against the practice, which is believed to be still ongoing in some remote areas in Malawi.
Virginity testing
This is a popular tradition in South Africa, especially among the Zulu ethnic group who reside mainly in kwaZulu Natal province.
Girls who participate in this ceremony must have their virginity tested by a qualified virginity tester and this is done in a secluded room using bare hands.
The girl being tested must lie on her back with her legs open. The tester then opens her vagina with both hands and looks inside, apparently to see if her hymen is intact.
If all is well, the girl is given a virginity certificate.
Over the years, human and women’s rights groups have made calls for the practice to be banned saying that it is archaic and a violation of their rights.
But locals say it is necessary especially in the wake of HIV/AIDS in South Africa.
Wife stealing ceremony
This is practised by the Wodaabe tribe, a subgroup of the Fulani ethnic group found in the Sahel region.
During the ceremony, which is in a form of a beauty pageant, men dress and make up, with their faces usually painted with different colours.
They do a spectacular Gerewol dance just to attract a woman at the ceremony, irrespective of she being married or not.
The women can also choose as many men as they want and have s3x with them before they settle on one.
The interesting thing is it’s no big deal how long the woman has been married; once she has picked a man, the tribe accepts the new union and regards it as a genuine marriage.
The Groom Sleeps With Bride’s Aunt Before Wedding
How much influence should aunties have on their nieces? In many African cultures, aunties provide counselling to their young nieces as they age from adolescence to adulthood. When it comes to marriage, these aunties prepare their nieces for the challenges that lie ahead.
But for the Banyankole people in Southwestern Uganda, the aunt had more than the above, especially during the marriage.
The primary responsibility of the aunt was to confirm that the groom is potent and that the bride has defended her virginity before the marriage is consummated.
As a potency test for the groom, the aunt was sometimes required to have s3x with the groom for confirmation of his potency and virility.
She also had to “test” if the bride is still a virgin before they are allowed to consummate their marriage.
In other traditions, the aunt is said to go as far as listening in or watching as the bride and groom have s3x in order to prove the couple’s potency.
Inasmuch as this outdated practice may sound weird, it shows how the people of Banyankole, particularly the Bahima tribe hold virginity in high esteem.
