By Samuel Olatunji
Ido-Ile Ekiti is a small community in Ekiti State, south western part of Nigeria, of over a million indigenes. About 75% of the people of Ido-Ile community are predominantly traditionalist. Christians and other religion are relatively few in this part of Ekiti State. These people are very hospitable and friendly. Their major food is Iyan (pounded yam).
Sadly, Ido-Ile community people are traditional fanatics, who still believe in Female Genital Mutilation (Female circumcision).
According to their culture, every female child must be circumcised, and upon the girl child attaining age 10years old, she must perform ritual cleansing.
By this ritual cleansing, the girl child is made to sleep in the dark room of the shrine, she will be made to tie white clothes. She must not eat or taste anything that contains pepper. She is fed with some concoctions for the three days she will be locked in the dark room, while the oracle takes little of her blood to perform the ritual cleansing on her and to purify her before the gods. When she eventually comes out, the village bell is ringed, and encomium to the gods is heard. There is massive celebration and rejoicing, because she is found purified by the gods.
However, according to their traditional belief, failure to perform the ritual cleansing, spells doom for the family and the community at large. There will be strange diseases and deaths, that which has never been seen or recorded. The ritual cleansing completes the circumcision ritual, failure to perform the ritual cleansing on the circumcised girl child makes the whole circumcision ritual incomplete and futile.
Meanwhile, according to their tradition, every girl not circumcised is seen as an outcast and no one will ever want to relate with such girl in the community; also she will not be able to give birth and even if she does, such child will be unhealthy, she will suffer mental illness, bad luck, sickness and never live long in life.
Fortunately, no such record has ever been heard, the people of the community obey their tradition to the latter, even till date. In the true sense, this tradition is repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscious. It is hoped that someday, the law will take its course and such tradition be completely abolished.
Until then, the tradition prevails.
