Growing Up Sexually

ZIMBABWE (Karanga, Matabele, Shona, Nambyans, Shangaani; ® Lemba, ® Atonga, Ambo)

Index → Africa→ Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, Symington (1972)[1] found a mean age of male coitarche of 18, earliest at age seven. In another study, the median age of first sexual intercourse was 19 for females aged 14-24), and 18 for males aged 14-21 (Boohene et al., 1991)[2].

Twenty one per cent of rural and urban secondary school boys aged 12 years reported having had intercourse (Campbell and Mbizvo, 1994)[3]. According to another study, children might initiate sex, at an earliest age at eight, “although some indicated body experiments between children as early as four years (Loewenson et al., 1997:p11)[4]. Youths found themselves “able to decide about sex” at age 14.0 (rural boys), 17.0 (urban boys), 13.9 (rural girls), and 16.6 (urban girls) (p10). Some customs were recognised that might lead to sexual abuse of children (p29): “Chiramu” or “Sibale” (“a custom aimed at socialising children that induced touching young girls, leading to touching of young girls private parts”); “kuzvarira” (“young girls pledged in marriage”); “ngozi” (“young girls handed over as compensation to an injured family”); “chikwambo” (visible or invisible objects are “instructed to have sex with children”).

The Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture has introduced sex education in primary schools in spite of the controversy that still surrounds it (Mapfumo, 1999)[5]. The author comments on the breakdown of sex education roles for aunts and uncles as a result of contact with the European family system. The study demonstrated that most of the sixth and seventh grade pupils felt comfortable to discuss sex with their teachers, while most did not with their parents, although 82% felt their parents had positive attitudes toward sex education.

In pre-colonial days, homosexuality was disapproved of “at least beyond adolescence” (Epprecht)[6].

In an interesting recent project[7] it was learned from parents that they

“[…] conceded that “culture is silent on boys’ sexual maturation, it is an adventure for the growing boy”; “usually boys picks it up (sexual maturation information) as they grow”. In addition to the taboos associated with mention of sexual and reproductive organs, there were taboos associated with processes of sexual maturation. Girls must be informed through women and boys through males. They mentioned a taboo called “a woman rule”, i.e., it should not be discovered by a male that a girl is having a menstrual period. Further, it was taboo also for women and girls in their periods to cook food for the family. Finally, they indicated that it was a taboo for a father to “know” his daughter’s bedroom. […] While there are initiation ceremonies they cited, these were conducted for all male or all female groups.  Parents lacked knowledge of what goes in ceremonies of the opposite sex. These ceremonies led by aunts or by uncles initiate children into womanhood or manhood. The ceremonies are conducted for boys and girls who show obvious signs of maturation. There were cultural taboos associated with growing up. For example, menstruating girls are not allowed to cook or handle salt. Mothers smeared breast milk on the child’s penis or vagina with the intent to “cool off the sexual desire” in growing up. It was important for children to know these traditions although parents admitted that they did not adequately prepare them for coping and managing sexual maturation. The issue of sexual maturation was one parents believed all stakeholders should be involved in, “the whole is the sum of its parts”. If the media, parents, the church, and the school collaborate, the children will be equipped with appropriate sexual maturation information.  […] At age 8, children must be introduced to their body parts, “it is the best age to highlight the changes that are expected to take place”. At 9-10 years, they should be taught about erections, wet dreams and menstruation, and how to manage them. At 11-12 years, they required “constant reminding” of their body parts, functions, managing menstruation, and becoming an acceptable member of society. They perceived that teaching of sexual maturation should use “mild language” as it was culturally taboo to state names of reproductive organs. By age 8, they believed children knew names of reproductive organs in the mother language. What was considered to be mild language was as follows: for penis (chiweti, chinyama, mushonga, willy, pipi), for vagina (chinunu, chibhanzi, huku, dori, fanny, tambi), menstruatiion (kugeza, kunguva, kutevera, kuperiod), and for wet dreams (kuputudza, kuzvirotera). […] Graffiti in the boys’ toilet showed terms “mboro” (penis).”

Featured: Karanga, Matabele, Shona, Nambyans, Shangaani; ®Lemba, ®Atonga

Janssen, D. F., Growing Up Sexually. VolumeI. World Reference Atlas. 0.2 ed. 2004. Berlin: Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology

Last revised: Apr 2005