How many times have you heard people say, “I do it because it is my culture”? Many times, I assume. They say it all the time. You know, culture is great!! I love culture as well, because culture defines who we are. It gives us our identity. Culture connects us to our families, friends, and a history that is worth being proud of. Culture should make us proud as a people. It should make us feel human and feel wanted and needed. It should make us feel valued.
But wait, what about when culture is harmful? Should we embrace it? Think about it?
In some communities, it is a
cultural thing to discipline wives by whipping. Some women have been killed
this way. In others, it is okay to perform female genital cuttings, - a process
that involves the trimming off of the
clitoris, labia minora and labia majora and sometimes sewing completely a woman's vagina leaving
a tiny match stick size hole. This is done in order to protect her virginity
and chastity. Some girls have died through such processes and many live with
health issues that may include; pain,
inflammation, swelling, urine retention, urinary tract infection, meatal
obstruction and urinary strictures, keloids, dermoid cysts, introital and
vaginal stenosis, neuromas, dysmenorrhea, hematocolpos, dyspareunia, infertility,
obstructed labor during childbirth, hemorrhage, sepsis, infection, shock, and
even death.[i]
In other cultures, it is alright to kill a baby girl after she is born just because the family is fearful of her dishonoring them when she grows up. In such societies, infanticide is alright as it is believed that girls are generally impulsive and likely to be promiscuous that the only way to prevent this is kill them at birth. In such cultures killing a woman who commits fornication, adultery or gets pregnant out of wedlock is common. In some cultures, such a woman is buried alive or stoned to death.
In other cultures the birth of twins is an omen. Such children are to be thrown away in the forest and left for dead. Oh wait, did I mention that in other cultures it is alright to eat fellow human beings and of course wonderful to sacrifice humans? I could go on and on and on… Did I mention that rape is an acceptable cultural practice in some communities? This will be discussed in details in my next blog topic. I think the point is made!
While culture has positive benefits to the individual, it has its negative side as well. Culture can justify abusive behavior.
When culture undermines any ones welfare, especially health, it ought to be questioned. We should all do what we can to claim our human rights, and God’s creations. Our human worth is much more that what culture can offer. As rational beings, we should all claim our agency as individuals who can think for ourselves and make decisions for ourselves. While we all love our families, communities, and our cultures, we should consider seriously what they expose us to. When they ask us to succumb to practices that harm us, we ought to stand up against them. Any culture that is proud of itself must protect the health and rights and general welfare of all its members.
Sometimes, this is not easy for some of us, though. That is why everyone needs a friend to turn to when situations like these happen. Be your sister’s and brother’s keeper. Be there for the unfortunate and for those who have no voice in society and probably don’t know how to resist abusive practices in their families, communities and societies in general. Say no to any form of abuse, Say yes to human rights.
Join us at WISO as we stand for the rights of all. We condemn any form of abuse whether cultural sanction or not. We stand for the welfare of the abused. We work to help empower them to say no to abuse. Join us and share your story. It can be inspirational to others. Support us in other ways to help change one life at a time. Do not forget to visit our website at wiso2011.org and like us on facebook, tweeter, and share our concerns to all your friends. We can all make a change. Lives of millions depend on it. Remember, just one life at a time.
Peace!
WISO President
June 2014
[i] Turner, Dianne. 2007. “Female Genital Cutting:
Implications for Nurses” AWHONN
accessed at http://nwh.awhonn.org
