Even in our 21st century, people are still trapped in some fetish traditions and beliefs. This was seen in the case of Malawi, as it was a traditional rite and customs where the 'hyena', a paid sex worker in
his 40s is made to have sex with young girls once they reach puberty. These girls are made to believe that once they refuse to perform the rites, some fatal misfortune could befall their families or the village as a whole.
Aniva, who happens to be the pre-eminent "hyena" in the village, and also married to two wifes, was given the traditional title by communities in southern Malawi to provide what's called sexual "cleansing". If a man dies, for example, his wife is required by tradition to sleep with Aniva before she can bury him. If a woman has an abortion, again sexual cleansing is required. And most shockingly, the Nsanje, teenage girls, are made to have sex over a three-day period,- after their first menstruation, to mark their passage from childhood to womanhood. The families are made to pay from $4 to $7 each time.
According to Aniva, "Most of those I have slept with are girls, school-going girls, some girls are just 12 or 13 years old, but I prefer them older. All these girls find pleasure in having me as their hyena. They actually are proud and tell other people that this man is a real man, he knows how to please a woman."
Most of the teenagers who feels uncomfortable with the rites are forced to believe that their refusal to follow the sexual cleansing could even result to the death of their parents and so they are afraid of loosing their loved ones and have no option but to partake in the rites.
Also one of the elders in the community explains that the rituals are necessary to avoid infection with their parents or the rest of the community also adding that it is a good way to train their girls into becoming a good housewives.
Considering the rate of HIV/Aids infection, even the customs says, sex with the hyena must never be protected with the use of condoms. But they say a hyena is hand-picked for his good morals, and therefore cannot be infected with HIV/Aids.
Also, Aniva's wife, opens up about her husbands cleansing job which she condemns saying she want the so called tradition to end -'' we are forced to sleep with the hyenas, it's not out of our choice and that I think is so sad for us as women'' she said
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