THERE are numerous practices in Africa that are ought to have been stopped as a result of civilisation and modernisation. It is apparent that some of these practices have been put in abeyance, while some are still in existence. Conservative ideology was identified as a formidable fact why some of the barbaric practices could not be completely eradicated. Civilisation has saturated Nigeria with modern gadgets that have made communication easier, business transactions exciting, religion very comfortable and human relationship better.However, civilisation still has a long way to go when it comes to eradicating a lot of barbaric practices that our ancient fathers had practised. We have some barbaric practices still happening in Nigeria and they are female genital mutilation, Osu, the igbo caste system; maltreatment of widows, witchhunts, slavery, little witches, human sacrifice, rituals, cultismon female genital mutilation. Some so-called civilised and educated parents including few who areoutside the shores of Africa are still supporting female circumcision. It is believed to be a religious obligation that can control the libido of a woman.
In the Igbo caste system, an osu is considered as a person who is owned by the gods. In some parts of the Eastern Nigeria, this practice is still on. The victims are not expected to have any dealing with others. Maltreatment of widows is prevalent in some parts of the Eastern Nigeria. When a husband dies, the widow is subjected to untold suffering. Everything that is owned by the husband is taken away, leaving her and kids to look for help elsewhere. Again, when anyone is identified as a witch, that is the end of public association with that person. Sometimes, they are killed without allowing the law to take its position in the matter. Slavery where the blacks were subjected to hard labour has come and gone. It has been replaced by modern slavery which seems to be worse. Ladies are sold outside their countries for prostitution and other vices. Kids are kidnapped and taken to farms to work and child trafficking has equally made it a lucrative business. In Akwa State, you would come to hear that some kids are witches who cause misfortune to their families and loved ones.These kids are not spared with violence and they are often maimed for life.People still eat their fellow humans in some parts of Nigeria.
Most times, we do not hear about it but in few cases, the atrocities are opened to the public. Also, the ancient gods are still powerful in some parts of Nigeria where humans are required for sacrifices to appease one god or the other.We always find people with some parts of the bodies cut after they must have been killed for some sort of rituals.Cultism is rampant in almost every city in Nigeria. The cultists are feared and the public stay away from them to avoid being punished or at times killed. And yet another evil practice is female circumcision, an act of ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. It is often performed without anesthetics and by lay practitioners. According to the Wikipedia, female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and within communities from countries in which FGM is common. UNICEF estimated in 2016, 200 million women living today in 30 countries—27 African countries, Indonesia, Iraqi Kurdistan and Yemen—had undergone the procedures. Typically carried out by a traditional circumciser using a blade, FGM is conducted from days after birth to puberty and beyond. In half the countries for which national figures are available, most girls are cut before the age of five.
Procedures differ according to country or ethnic group. They include removal of the clitoral hood and clitoral glans; removal of the inner labia; and removal of the inner and outer labia and closure of the vulva. In this last procedure, known as infibulation, a small hole is left for the passage of urine and menstrual fluid; the vagina is opened for intercourse and opened further for childbirth.The practice is rooted in gender inequality, attempts to control women’s sexuality, and ideas about purity, modesty and beauty. It is usually initiated and carried out by women, who see it as a source of honour, and who fear that failing to have their daughters and granddaughters cut will expose the girls to social exclusion. Health effects depend on the procedure. They can include recurrent infections, difficulty urinating and passing menstrual flow, chronic pain, the development of cysts, an inability to get pregnant, complications during childbirth, and fatal bleeding.
There are no known health benefits. There have been international efforts since the 1970s to persuade practitioners to abandon FGM, and it has been outlawed or restricted in most of the countries in which it occurs, although the laws are poorly enforced. Since 2010, the United Nations has called upon healthcare providers to stop performing all forms of the procedure, including reinfibulation after childbirth and symbolic “nicking” of the clitoral hood. The opposition to the practice is not without its critics, particularly among anthropologists, who have raised difficult questions about cultural relativism and the universality of human rightsWith little or no knowledge of human anatomy or medicine, female circumcision could cause death or permanent health problems as well as severe pain. Despite these mammoth risks, its practitioners take it as an internal part of their cultural and ethnic identity. This act is nothing but an act of human rights violation.
- Kazeem writes in from Ogun State.