Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This paper looks critically at particularly two harmful sexual practices most prevalent
among the Zulu people in Kwazulu-Natal; virginity testing for girls, and the practice
'dry sex.' It is mostly the ripple effects of these practices, regarding the spread of
mV/AIDS that is most alarming to medical science, leaving them no option other
than to condemn this behaviour. This treatise however endeavours throughout to
proffer understanding for the needs of a culture as diverse and unique as the Zulu
people. Further, this paper often looks from an overarching African perspective, since
despite African peoples' differences in terms of linguistics, geography, religiosity and
general differences in daily run of the mill activities, there is a dominant socioreligious
philosophy shared by all Africans.
The, a, band c of virginity testing, and the resulting moral issues revolving around
this practice are addressed. The main issues regarding the repercussions of virginity
testing are discussed as well as the medical controversy involved in these issues. This
will prove the limited effectiveness of this practice and the potential, yet serious and
harmful ramifications it has for girls who are tested.
In stark contrast to these girls, stands the girl who starts at a very tender age with the
practice of 'dry sex', often encouraged and taught to her by female elders in order 'to
please men'. This practice serves as a very powerful tool for commercial sex workers,
venturing the streets and the truck driver stops, as it lures men into making her the
preferred choice. So desperate are her socio-economic and cultural circumstances that
she risks infection, and ultimate death, in order to comply with his need for
unprotected and 'dry sex.' Numerous studies alert us to the fact that the drying agents
used lead to lacerations of the vaginal walls, causing SID's, which in tum, exacerbate
the spread of the disease.
Zulu traditions and customs regarding sexuality and sexual relationships proffer
essential insight into the Zulu people's sexual behaviour. In order to strike a balance
between two diverse cultural groups, the West and African, a critical assessment of
the West's own sexual history guides us to understand the West's 'sober' practice of monogamy is no less 'permissive' and 'promiscuous' than the African's practice of
polygamy.
The paper also investigates the corresponding differences in relation to indigenous
knowledge systems versus science. African people discern the body's physiology and
anatomy metaphorically and symbolically. We cannot simply gloss over these
perceptions, enforcing scientific-based knowledge in our educational programmes,
without consideration and accommodation for a very unique way of interpreting one's
daily experiences and one's unique self.
It is not only our biased discernment of indigenous knowledge that complicates the
Aids pandemic considerably, but it is also enhanced by the burden of stereotyped
gender-roles. Not only is a paradigm shift regarding the imbalance of power very
much needed, we also need to understand that the inculcated anger some men in the
Zulu culture fosters is a force to be reckoned with, as it displays psychological
underpinnings of damage, signalling very clearly the need for therapeutic measures of
healing. Conversely, the female in the Zulu culture has started to empower herself, but
not always in terms of a beneficial end in itself. Similarly, it must alert us to the fine
line separating the virgin-whore dichotomy, fuelled by her poverty-stricken and maledominated
existence.
It would appear that what we are fighting for is more than the preservation of life
whilst engulfed by AIDS's scourge, but a global vision where the individual, or a
whole community, with regard to mVIAIDS, is "self-reproducing, pragmatically selfsustainable
and logically self-contained." (Bauman 1994: 188) / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die Zoeloe kultuur figureer daar veral twee tradisionele seksuele gedragspraktyke
wat kommer wek by sommige Westerlinge, hier ter plaatse sowel as in die buiteland.
Alhoewel hierdie praktyke as natuurlik, eksklusief en algemeen beskou word, is daar
huidiglik stemme van protes wat waarsku dat die twee praktyke potentiele gevaar
inhou vir die mens se gesondheid en geesteswelsyn. Die praktyke behels dat jong en
weerlose meisies vanaf die ouderdom van ses jaar gereeld onderwerp word aan 'n
vaginale toets om vas te stelofhulle nog 'n maagd is, en, die voorkeur van sommige
mans om omgang te he met 'n vrou wat haar vagina op 'n 'onnatuurlike' wyse droog,
hard en styf hou met die oog op 'n meer bevredigende seksuele ervaring vir die man.
Baie vroue geniet ook hierdie ervaring. Die mediese wetenskap is veral bekommerd
oor die moontlike verband tussen die nadelige repurkussies van die twee praktyke en
die vinnige verspreiding van MIVMGS en pleit derhalwe dat daarmee weggedoen
word. Die praktiseerders van eersgenoemde praktyk word byvoorbeeld gewaarsku dat
dit mag lei tot gevalle van verkragting, anale seks asook kindermishandeling, terwyl
laasgenoemde praktyk veral twee hoe risiko-groepe ten opsigte van die VIGSpandemie
ten prooi val; die kommersiele sekswerkers in Kwazulu-Natal wat die
praktyk gebruik as wapentoerusting, en die land se vragmotorbestuurders wat hierdeur
verlei en aangemoedig word. Hierdie vorm van seksuele omgang ondermyn egter nie
net kondoomgebruik nie. Studies het bewys dat die gebruik van 'n vaginale
uitdrogingsmiddel daartoe kan lei dat die wande van die vagina mag skeur. Beide
groepe loop derhalwe nie alleenlik die risiko om 'n seksueeloordraagbare siekte op te
doen nie, maar om ook 'n VIGS-slagoffer te word.
Terwyl die beperkte effektiwiteit van die twee praktyke deurkam word, poog die
verhandeling om deurgaans 'n duidelike ingeboude begrip te handhaaf vir die unieke
en eiesoortige karakter van die Zoeloe kultuur. Dit redeneer dat beide groepe, Afrikaboorlinge
en Westerlinge, moet probeer verhoed om te polariseer en illustreer dat
diverse kultuurgroepe almal, vanuit 'n kultuurhistories perspektief, meerdere of
mindere tekens van promiskuiteit en permissiwiteit ten opsigte van seksualiteit toon.
Dit spreek vanself dat die twee praktyke ondersoek moet word teen die agtergrond
van die Zoeloe's se inheemse kennis met inbegrip van die wyse waarop die menslike
fisiologie en anatomie metafories en simbolies verklaar word. Die digotomie wat bestaan tussen inheemse kennis en wetenskap vra dat ons boodskappe
gekommunikeer moet word op 'n wyse wat beide gesigspunte konsolideer.
Uiteraard kompliseer die stereotipering van geslagsrolle in die Zoeloe bevolking die
VIGS-pandemie aansienlik. Dit dra in 'n groot mate daartoe by dat die VIGSpandemie
nie suiwer as 'n biomediese probleem manifesteer nie, maar dat ander
psigo-sosiale faktore in berekening gebring moet word. Dit werk byvoorbeeld 'n
ongebalanseerde magsposisie in die hand wat sommige Zoeloe mans se sielkundige
worsteling met hul diepgewortelde, polities geinspireerde woede belig en dui op
sommige kontemporere Zoeloe vrouens se toenemende geneigdheid om seks aan te
bied in ruil vir geld. Sy doen dit om sodoende haarself van die juk van die Zoeloe man
se mag oor haar en haar neerdrukkende sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede te bevry.
Die verhandeling beweeg dikwels buite sy grense en fokus nie net bloot op die gedrag
van die Zoeloe bevolking nie, maar boorlinge van Afrika in die algemeen. Hierdie
oorhoofse Afrika-perspektief vind regverdigingsgronde in die lig van die feit dat
boorlinge van Afrika saamgesnoer word deur 'n oorheersende sosio-religieuse
filosofie, desnieteenstaande die feit dat daar merkbare verskille voorkom ten opsigte
van linguistiek, geografie, religieusheid en ander wat betref hul daaglikse gebruike en
omgang.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53446 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Rauch, Rena (Rena Petronella) |
| Contributors | Van Niekerk, A. A., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Philosophy. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 125 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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