My excellent friend, Pindai, a woman of statuesque beauty
and honourable reputation posts things on her facebook page that makes me
think.
Today, an unfortunate press release from a Zimbabwean
senator, Morgan Femai , woke me up and threw me against a wall. He said, Friday while addressing a
parliamentary HIV awareness workshop in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, that in order to curb
the infection rate women must bath
occasionally, shave-off their hair, dress shabbily and get circumcised to make
them less attractive to men.
I’ll give you a moment to digest that.
If it doesn’t make you mad as a hornet for content alone,
let me introduce you to what the Senator is representing: a government mandate in favor of women
disfiguring themselves and become unhygienic in what used to be the most
educated country in Africa.
“What I propose is that the government should come up
with a law that compels women to have their heads clean-shaven
like what the Apostolic sects do,” Femai said, adding that “They should also
not bath because that is what has caused all these problems (spread of HIV).”
Femai also recommended circumcision for women – becoming the
latest in a long line of lawmakers who have pushed bizarre
proposals about how to curb the spread of HIV.
“Women have got more moisture in their organs as compared to
men, so there is need to research how to deal with that moisture because it is
conducive for bacteria breeding. There should be a way o suck out that
moisture,” he said in comments insinuating that the virus which causes AIDS
breeds better in women than men.
Zimbabwe is one of the countries that is most affected by HIV, but has seen a decline in new infections. Because of superstitious teachings like this,
the tables could turn and years of work being done by reputable organizations
could be erased. There are several
public officials that have advocated sleeping with a virgin in order to rid
yourself of the virus. Sometimes these
virgins are their young daughters, whom they end up infecting.
Another Zimbabwean Senator recently suggested that
Zimbabweans must be limited to one sexual encounter per month. She also said
that men should be administered a drug that reduces their libido.
Another legislator, Thabitha Khumalo, is also campaigning
for the legalisation of prostitution claiming this could help the fight against
AIDS. How? Who cares that no one knows.
Pindai, my friend, is from Zimbabwe. So is my best friend, Portia. If these men and women who are elected into
office have their way, they could be forcing incredible, thinking women into a new form of slavery. These superstitious teachings turning into legislation, make our American debates over birth control and gun rights pale in comparison.
This world has come a long way, but there is no joy in
seeing an idiot come into power. By injecting senseless propaganda into the
lifeblood of a great country, Zimbabwe is being torn from the inside by its own leadership.
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