Moving on in our exploration of the rites regarding circumcision: following Papa Kédine last week, his grandson Jean brings us details on the ceremony and the actual operation as they used to be conducted.

Circumcision is a rite of passage from childhood to manhood, and physical mutilations may sometimes be combined with a change of name. Thus initiation implies a change within the individual, within their identity. As Jean Kédine mentions, “a non-circumcised, socially speaking, was considered as a woman”.

Consisting in the removal of the foreskin, male circumcision stands as the most-well known and accepted kind of sexual mutilation as it is considered by many as totally harmless, unlike female circumcision.

Presumably originating from Egypt where it accounted for an ordeal of courage for teenagers, circumcision is a very ancient practice. In other traditions, such as in Judaism, it is the sign of an alliance with God. Nowadays, and in a more secular perspective, male circumcision is mainly related to questions of hygiene, and is performed almost consistently in some countries. USA, for example.

Linguist: Jean-Marie Hombert
Image & sound: Luc-Henri Fage
Editing: Caroline Laurent