Is the clitoris God's biggest mistake?
Apr 28, 2022
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By Kingsley Obom-Egbulem
Why should men decide to cut off an organ that God considers good for women? Did God err by creating the girl child and making her come into this world with a clitoris?
I often ponder on these questions each time I read about the gory experiences of girls in the name of circumcision. And I think any good person should be interested in these questions and the answers they can generate. Any human being whose sanity and sanctity are not in question should bother about what grandpas and grandmas are doing to the clitoris of their grand children.
Anyone interested in creating climes where girls and women can be free to ventilate and give expression to their feelings (even if it’s sensual) and demand the right to sexual pleasure especially in relationships should strive to answer these questions. Now, I need to quickly warn that this conversation is not really about sex .It is not informed by any lascivious tendency.
And just in case the issues canvassed tend towards erotising, please that was not the intention. This article is purely developmental and it is simply the lamentations of a sad man; a man affected by the mutilation of anorgan;anorganso small but yet means so much to a child, to girl and to womanhood. For those who don’t know, men often discuss their sex life. We actually do. And we do so with our right-hand men. We discuss the pleasures, pains, frustrations, mistakes- and for the mischievous ones-the escapades and conquests.
Even the married ones are not left out of this somewhat hedonic pastime. I’m told women also discuss their sex life. And the pattern flows too like that of men. But one thing they all share in common is that they discuss their frustrations and pains; frustrations often resulting from the ‘absence’ or ‘partial presence’ of this small but mighty organ called the clitoris.
An organ that has suffered age long mutilation and it’s even responsible for the breakdown of some marriage relationships. And it all boils down to the pursuit and expression of the right to pleasure; a phenomenon that has become elusive simply by the unguided decision of our patriarchs to circumcise our girls like they say ‘to prevent them from becoming wayward.” When we engage in female genital mutilation, we sacrifice the right of our girls –our daughters to enjoy a God given gift. We steal their joy and we tell God right to His face that He made a big mistake by giving them clitoris.
“God looked over everything He had made; it was so good, so very good.” That quotation was taken from The Message Bible’s rendition of Genesis Chapter 1 vs 31a. That’s the verse that kept ringing in my head as I thought about this article and the issue it sets out to address.
By the way, I don’t intend preaching at this juncture- just in case you are feeling like moving on to something else. I simply want to vent and give expression to one of the loudest thoughts I’ve been living with.
Why did God create the clitoris if He really wants it cut off as soon as a girl is born? Or could it be that men-(yes, I mean your ancestors and mine) were simply making a mockery of God and blaming Him for making a grave mistake when creating women hence they came up with the idea of circumcision? I feel you should reconsider the verse I quoted earlier and perhaps try to see what I’m seeing in the context of this article.
That verse reads like :“God looked over everything He made -including the clitoris and it was so good, so very good”.The Good News Bible (GNB) puts it even better: “God looked at everything he had made (including the clitoris) and He was very pleased” (emphasis mine).
So, why would men and indeed fathers dare to cut off anorganthat God was pleased with? Why would men/fathers dare try to right what was not wrong in the first place and say it is tradition? Someone reading this article might be wondering: “what is this guy’s problem? You might even think I’m going beyond the terms of reference of this column or the scope of this website for that matter.
But within the context of parenting are issues bothering on sexuality of our children, particularly our daughters and things that would give them pleasure and the extent to which It can be sought and achieved bearing in mind and observing all moral, religious and socio-cultural boundaries. And I think the day a few old men (and their female accomplices) sat down to preside over the fate and destiny of the clitoris as a means for keeping girls and women in check was the day tradition went beyond its boundaries and stood on its head.
Hence I hereby call for a day of repentance (and if possible penance) for all that Africa and its fathers have done to the clitoris. When God created His girls and daughters, He made them perfect and gave them perfect genitalia. But in the name of tradition, we felt God must be out of His mind-so we chose to cut and mutilate what He’s perfected.
We can start redefining who a loving father is by the role he’s playing in stopping some of these harmful practices that not only demean women but places them at the receiving end of indefensible decisions of men and society; decisions born out of brain washing” or better still absurd whims and caprices of men.
Just in case you are still wondering, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is mindless injury to the female genital organs. Imagine if your daughter were to live with complications such as shock, repeated urinary tract infections, possible reduction of vaginal opening which may lead to blockage of menstrual flow and consequently reproductive tract infections and lowered fertility or sterility, obstructed labor all in the name of tradition.
Cutting the clitoris and other sensitive tissue reduces a woman’s ability to experience sexual pleasure. For most women, the consummation of marriage is likely to be painful because of the small vaginal opening and the lack of elasticity in the scar tissue that forms it. Tearing and bleeding may occur, or the scar may have to be cut open to allow penetration. Her man shares in this pain and anguish too.
So, fathers, wouldn’t you rather leave your girls as PERFECT as God created them. Or would you still want to listen to counsel of traditions and have their genitals mutilated and set them up for a frustrating marriage, painful delivery and other complications? I actually know what a wise father who truly loves his daughters would do.
