Imbalu: Steady business as male circumcision fete nears

PIC: A mother and her son enjoy a camel ride at Mutoto cultural grounds, the Imbalu birthplace. (Credit: Daniel Edyegu)

CULTURE | IMBALU

A mild afternoon downpour which had gone on for almost three hours did not deter customers.

The benches on either side of the dining table at Joyce Namutosi's eating shelter at Mutoto cultural grounds in Mbale district were all occupied.

"From 3pm until way into the night, people keep trickling to this place. When dusk falls, the music, dance and fanfare starts. The number of revelers at the grounds bulges in the night. Our busy time for food sales is from 4pm into the night. This place is open 24 hours," Namutosi explains.

Namutosi and other business owners is cashing in before the launch of imbalu, the traditional Bamasaba male circumcision ceremony this Saturday.

Traditional male circumcision among the ethnic Bamasaba is a right of passage to manhood.

The ethnic group comprises the over four million Babukusu in Kenya and three million Bamasaba in Uganda resident mainly along the slopes of Mt. Elgon, which lies along Uganda-Kenya border. Once every even year, Bamasaba converge at the venue to launch male circumcision.

"We have been here for a month now and the sales are okay. Though I feel the money charged for space is way too high. I paid sh90,000 for this space. I feel sh50,000 would have been an appropriate price," Namutosi says.

From a lowly traditional fete of the past, the Inzi ya Bamasaba, the cultural institution charged with organising the ceremony, is slowly turning traditional male circumcision into an income-generating activity.

The space at the venue has been widened from an acre to four acres.

Prices for spaces for erecting stalls range from sh90,000 to sh300,000, depending on the width. Over 100 stalls have already been erected at the venue, according to the event's organisers.

At the site, permanent grass-thatched huts are being erected to represent the sons of Masaaba, the father of Bamasaba.

According to Mathias Nabutele, the institution cultural minister, a museum is also planned for the venue to display Bamasaba traditional artifacts such as drums, circumcision knives, clothing and general regalia.

And unlike previous occasions where the venue was open to the public just a week to the occasion, Mutoto cultural grounds has been open to business for a whole month this year in the runup to the event.

"We need to know that it is no longer just about circumcision only but finding and exploiting economic opportunities associated to the event.

We have expanded the venue to reduce commotion. In fact, we have decided to stretch the period this venue is open for business so that traders maximise gains from the event," Nabutele explained.

This year, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and his Ugandan counterpart and host Yoweri Museveni are expected to grace the occasion.

"The two leaders will launch the museum. This will be a source of revenue to the institution in form of cultural tourism. But most importantly, it will keep the cultural artifacts of Bamasaba intact for generations to come," Nabutele said.

The venue is teeming with both corporate firms striving to sell and create awareness about their products and services; and small-scale businesses focused on quick sales.

Joyce Neboshi, the marketing manager of a water bottling company, explained that the expanded business period in the buildup to the occasion has enabled businesses maximise returns.

"Water is an all-time necessity. So our sales are steady throughout the day.

"We have already supplied 2,000 cartons of water to Inzu ya Masaba for this occasion. But we target to sell additional 3,000 cartons by the end of this fete," Neboshi said.