Imbalu Circumcision Ceremony – Public circumcision in Mbale

The cheerful tribe of the Bamasaaba is located among the slopes of Mount Elgon and Sipi Falls; they are said to be agriculturalists and engage in small-scale farming. Mostly carried out by Eastern Uganda’s Bamasaaba people, the Imbalu circumcision rites fall even-numbered years between August and December.

Adolescent Stage Transformations

Common practice in Eastern regions including the districts of Manafwa, Sironko, and Mbale among others, males between the ages of 18 and 25 are deemed competent to be initiated into manhood. In the Bamasaaba culture, a male who is not yet circumcision but has passed the age of 25 is regarded as half a man; there are usually many of those who proclaim to be circumcision before August or December for preparations and become short listed.

If you schedule your Uganda safari around those months, Great Adventure Safaris offers you a chance to learn the actual tradition of the Imbalu circumcision rite.

Under the direction of a group of young men singing ethnic songs and whistling and carrying the boys scheduled for circumcision on their shoulders, Imbalu circumcision ritual starts in the morning.

Mostly friends and relatives, this large gathering features virtually half nude people with their faces covered in ash and a little cloth under their breast. Publically conducted during the closing hours of the day light, the initiation ceremony

Basinde is the word used to describe the guys from other tribes who have undergone circumcision who have been introduced into complete males from other tribes. Married to a guy who has had his circumcision determines the women’s identity in Bugisu.

Most men who strive to avoid circumcision may have a harsh circumcision in which the man is forcibly shaved without regard for compassion. Traveling to Uganda the Pearl of Africa in one of the even years in August or December offers an opportunity to meet with the Bamasaaba people and learn more about their way of life.