I was working as a missionary in a remote village in Central Africa. The tribe, whose name I don't recall, appeared to be a mix of the Maasai and the Woodaabe; both tribes are known for praising male beauty. The most noticeable thing upon seeing this particular tribe was that all the men were all strikingly handsome with tall lean bodies, flowing locks and dressed in very nice clothes both in Western and African styles. The tribe also had a very interesting tradition amongst the men; the men regularly slept with each other. Men would woo each other, sometimes forming couples and had sexual relations with each other, sometimes even with a family member. Women were deemed unimportant; their only purpose was to give birth and cook the meals that the men would hunt together. None of the women were allowed to be pretty; in fact all of the women seemed very comely, short of sunk over and dressed in very drab colors.
At some point I was in the central hut with the elders and all of the men in the village. For some odd reason were watching a documentary about the history of homosexuality in the world. All of the men sat strangly aghast; they seemed even appalled and disgusted, some with their mouths wide open. Considering their tradition, I really did not understand this reaction. At some point I walked over to my translater/guide; a very tall very good-lookng young man with beautiful smooth nut brown skin, striking features, piercing dark eyes, full lips and long ebony plaits. I asked him why everyone seemed so disturbed with the documentary. I was told they didn't like people being so free and open being gay. Being "gay" in the Western sense of the world was considered an abhorrence, something to be shamed and hated. "Gays" were effeminate sexual predators giving each other AIDS. In the tribe, men were allowed to have sex with each other as long as they were not in love and more importantly, acted "womanly"... like "gays" Naturally indignant, I announced I was gay. My guide gasped and leaped away as if I were a leper. The crowd of men looked back at us with surprised murmuring to each other and what was the commotion in the back. My guide covered my mouth and dragged me outside. I was told to stand and watch.
There were little boys, all between maybe 3-10, running around the village. Some were laughing as though playing a game while others cried and screamed, obviously frightened by something. Woman ran after a single child with angry hateful faces, fiercely swinging a sickle. One by one, each woman would catch and ultimate kill the child, impaling them upon the sickle's edge. Apparently, their was a tradition that women would ritually kill their own son if they acted like a girl, thus keeping the tribe masculine and pure.
No comments:
Post a Comment