Labial elongation is the practice of increasing the length of the labia minora-the inner lips of the female genitalia-by means of manual modification i.e. pulling or exerting of some force using hanging weights. It is a sex practice common in parts of eastern and southern Africa and is performed for a variety of reasons such as to increase sexual gratification for both partners during sexual intercourse, to achieve symmetry of both inner lips in the event that one is shorter as well as for aesthetic reasons.
The labia minora are the folds of skin that are found in the vulva on either sides of the vaginal opening. They are commonly called ‘inner lips’ since they resemble human lips and are located to the interior of the outer labia. The labia minora exhibits differences in length, shape color and size from individual to individual and as such, there is not universally accepted normal length of the labia minora. That having been said, it is noteworthy that on average, labial dimensions generally occurs in the range of 4 to 6 cm in length and an average width of 2 cm. Variations in length from individual to individual can be anywhere from 1.2 cm to 10 cm while variations in width can be in the range of 0.7 cm to 5 com. Incredibly, the two lips of the labia minora of the same individual are rarely ever of the same length and width. This is perfectly normal and should not be viewed as an abnormality or sign of labial hypertrophy or labioplasty.
Introduction
Since the early 1950s or even earlier, conversations around practices involving cleaning of the interior of the vagina had already hit the circles of academicians and scholars. At around the same time scholars were also aware of a more queer practice-that of vaginal tightening, where women would insert various during agents into their vagina pre-coitally or wash the vagina with agents that were believed to have the effect of tightening it. But it is the practice of labial elongation that has captured the attention of many scholars in the recent past, prompting a number or scientific studies and surveys into the tradidion. While the aforementioned practices are done primarily by married women, elongation of the labia minora is performed almost exclusively on girls at the initiation of puberty. This commences as early as at the age of 9 or 10 in most African communities and in most instances, must be completed well ahead of sexual initiation. Every tribe and region has its own desired length of the labia minora, hence the ideal measurement is not known.
This paper takes a look at three African communities which widely practice the tradition of labial stretching namely, the Ababemba of Zambia in the South, the Baganda of Uganda and the Nyarwanda of Rwanda, the latter two being from East Africa. The practice takes on different names from community to community although certain similarities are also observed as discussed in subsequent sections.
Communities that Practice Labial Elongation
The practice of the elongation of the labia minora is widespread in several parts of eastern and southern Africa. In Southern Africa, it is predominantly practiced by the Basotho indigenous people who are found across 5 countries; South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland and Botswana. In South Africa itself, anthropological evidence from as early as the beginning of the 20th century indicates that elongation of the labia minora has been practiced for a long time by the Nama, the largest group among the Khoikhoi tribe.
Zambia
In Zambia, the practice is rife among the BaBemba people. The BaBemba tribe belongs to a vast group of Bantu people found majorly in the Luapula Province in Northern Zambia and in the copper rich provinces of the country. They derive their origin from the upper states of Congo, namely Lunda and Luba, which became the modern day Katanga.
Purpose of the Ritual
Among the Babemba of Zambia, the pulling of the labia minora is viewed as a ritual to signify the coming of age of the girl child. It is one of the rites of passage that grant the young girls of the community the responsibility of becoming women. This explains why the girls are introduced to the ritual pulling of their labia at the onset of puberty; when they are able to menstruate. When the labia minora of the girl achieves the length that is considered desirable by the older women in the community, it is granted to her as eligibility for marriage. The Babemba hold that the pulling of the labia minora to make them longer contributes to a more intricate experience during sexual intercourse and is essential to achieving sexual satisfaction for the man as well as the woman. They hold that longer lips increase surface are for contact with the penis, making it easier for the woman to achieve orgasm, a phenomenon most sought after by men during sexual intercourse. The community believes that women who have undergone the ritual elongation of their labia are less likely to encounter infidelity or adultery from their husbands- the promise of a happy marriage.
The ceremony
Among the Ababemba, the practice is conducted in accordance with a number of customs and procedures which involve the family members, both nuclear and extended at designated times and occurs in three stages as discussed in the following sections.
Separation
The ceremony is commenced with an initiation where the young girl (initiate) is accompanied by an older female relative; usually her grandmother or aunt and in some instances her mother or even an older sister who has been through the initiation. Initiates are introduced to this stage upon the onset of puberty marked by the beginning of the menstrual cycles. The girls are taught by the older female relatives why they should have elongated labia. The older female relative also performs a physical demonstration to the girls on how the pulling is to be done. This stage of the initiation process is classified as separation because the girls are set apart from their former lives as children and are at the verge of being ushered into a new stage; that of womanhood. The condition for this though is that they must pull their labia minora to a desirable length in order to be considered women.
Transition
Upon the completion of the initiation ceremony, the initiates are required to continually pull their inner labia on a daily basis until the desired length predetermined by her village is achieved. The ritual is often referred to as ‘visiting the bush’, a euphemism which derives from the fact that girls often visit the bushes in search of designated herbs which are applied to the inner labia to facilitate the pulling. These include the leaves of nakasopyo, local name for Bidens pilosa in the Bemba language and mango stems. The herbs are ground into fine powder and mixed with cow butter or common petroleum jelly and made into fine paste. The girls then apply the paste externally on the lips of the labia minora and use it to pull the lips of the inner labia without much hassle. This was traditionally done in the bushes but today could even be performed in the privacy of the bedroom or bathroom. Pain and inflammation of the labia may occur, but the young girls are required to endure to the end and continue pulling to the right length. Often, the girls show each other the progress that they have made in the pulling. This exerts pressure on those who have not achieved much elongation to hasten the process and catch up with the rest.
Incorporation
This is the final stage of the ritual. This is celebrated in a ceremony accompanied by eating, drinking, and song and dance. At this time, the girls’ inner labia have grown to the desired length. They are considered as women and it is granted to them as eligible for marriage and wifely duties, chief among them, satisfying their husbands in bed. They can get married to any man in their village and have children. The young women are required to pass this ritual over to their daughters at the right time hence ensuring continuity of the practice.
Uganda
The practice of pulling the lips of the inner labia enjoys overwhelming popularity in central parts of Uganda. Among the Baganda, one of Uganda’s major tribes, it is regarded almost with pervasive reverence. In the western parts of Uganda lives the community known as the Bahima, which has also practiced the tradition since time immemorial. Reportedly according to Bahima folklore, women from the Bahima community elongated their labia in the olden days to guard against rapists by pulling their inner lips to become long enough to cover the vaginal opening. With the coming in of a new government in Uganda in 1986, and subsequent migration of some of the community members to urban areas, the fear of rape died down because they began to wear clothes. Perhaps this explains why this tradition is not as widely practiced among the Bahima today. The preferred length of the labia minora varies from community to community in Uganda. The Banyankole and the Batoro reportedly pull the inner lips (labia minora) till they hang several inches below the outer lips. But in communities where the tradition existed primarily to enhance sexual pleasure among partners, such as the Baganda, it has fairly remained intact and has in fact been fortified.
The Baganda
Although labial elongation is common in several African countries it is in Uganda and among the Baganda that the practice has steadily raised to become a distinctive feature with which its womenfolk tell themselves apart from women from other Ugandan tribes. Among the Baganda, the practice is referred to as okukyalira ensiko. Here, they prefer the labia minora hanging at just about one inch below the labia majora.
Purpose of the ritual
Among the Baganda of Uganda, the elongation of the labia minora is practiced purely for the purpose of enhancing sexual satisfaction for married couples. Ssengas-a name used to refer to women who specialize in the art-hold that longer lips adds a tickle to the penis as it penetrates the vagina and also squeezes against it as the pens is withdrawn from the vagina. To the male partner this yields a blissful feeling. It is also noteworthy that during the outward and inward movements, the penis titillates the nerve rich lips of the elongated labia minora which are very sensitive to touch. This causes very high levels of stimulation for the woman and facilitates the achievement of orgasms faster. If done in the proper manner and depending on the experience of the male partner, this often leads to multiple orgasms, a state that most women rarely achieve. Ssengas also opine that longer lips are comparatively more facilitative of penetration when teased in the course of foreplay because they get wet easier and faster and rapidly pass on lubricating fluids to the vaginal opening in readiness for penetration by the penis. In other words, vaginas with elongated labia minora become moist faster.
The Baganda believe that longer inner lips are better for oral sex. Okukyalira ensiko is also deemed as highly facilitative of kachabali, a sex practice common to Western Uganda. Kachabali involves the striking of the vaginal surface, including the inner lips, in a repetitive fashion using the man’s penis. The practice, which is aimed at stimulating the clitoris by hitting its tip and the labia minora hastens the female orgasm especially when the inner lips are longer.
One of the benefits of labial elongation that stands unchallenged is that it preserves heat in the vagina. Long inner lips cover the opening of the vaginal orifice thus keeping it warm. Psychological benefits have also fuelled the practice among the Baganda. In this community, many men regard vaginas with long lips as an intensely arousing scene. To majority of the Baganda women it gives them a sense of belonging to the community and is a source of self-esteem and confidence.
Okukyalira ensiko – The Procedure
Okukyalira ensiko as labial stretching is commonly referred to by the Buganda is performed by the girls themselves on their own bodies. In rare instances, third parties are involved. These are women called ssengas. They specialize in training young girls in the practice. In such instances ssengas are required to wear gloves. The girl sits with her legs apart and holds the inner lips between her thumb and the index finger and pulls them downwards. Local cow butter may be used to facilitate the pulling. The traditional herbs that are commonly used by the Baganda during labial stretching include butengotengo, namirembe, mukasa and kabbbo ka bakyala. Butengotengo resemble eggplant fruits and can be found on sale by commercial ssengas even today in the streets of Kampala. Firstly, the traditional herbs are ground and then mixed with the cow butter or jelly to make a fine paste which externally applied to the outer lips to facilitate pulling. The herbs are believed to be effective at achieving the results of the pulling.
Rwanda
While the practice of labial elongation is without a doubt practiced right across from the eastern to the southern parts of the African content, Rwanda stands out as the most notable country where the practice is still very much alive. The Nyarwanda have long had a reputation as experts in the practice of gukuna imishino as is the name in Nyarwanda. Like everywhere else in the African continent, the matter of sex and sexuality is sacred and is rarely ever discussed in public since it is considered a taboo. Even among the Nyarwanda, matters around sex and sexuality are canvassed in gender restricted gatherings and in hush tones. This explains why the community colloquially refers to the practice of labial stretching as guca imyeyo which means ‘cutting brooms’. Men were never intended to know about it; hence, the practice was disguised as such. Young girls would do it in the bushes while away ‘cutting brooms’.
Why gukuna imishino is performed in Rwanda
The popular belief is that in Africa, sex entails the man getting on top and doing his thing then it is done. But among the Nyarwanda, societal beliefs around sex are quite to the contrary. It is the expectation of the community that Rwandan men ought to make their wives to orgasm, the local name for which is kurangiza, which should be evidenced by female ejaculation, kunyaza. Given the sensitive nature of conversations around sex and sexuality, the name kunyaza is rarely ever used; instead the use of the term ‘water’ is common. The man is supposed to facilitate this by teasing the lips of the inner labia and the clitoris using the tip of his penis in a circular fashion, progressively and repetitively. He is supposed to being from the outer surfaces of the labia minora and then proceeds to tap against the inner surfaces. Stretching of the inner lips is performed in preparation for kunyaza later on in marriage. The logic thereof is that longer and bigger lips are easier to hold and tease during foreplay and therefore facilitates female ejaculation. Longer lips also cover the entire penis and pulls against it during the inward and outward movements. Given the sensitivity of the lips, thanks to the supply of nerve endings, this yields intense excitation to the woman and aids in the achievement of orgasms and ejaculation. For this reason, Nyarwanda women are usually presented with a special mat known as ikirgo or umusambi made from banana fiber on her wedding day. This is supposed to be laid on the bed to prevent the mattress form getting soiled by the female ejaculation.
How gukuna is performed
Among the Nyarwanda, girls are introduced to the practice at the onset of puberty. When the girls begin to have their menstrual flow, an older female relative usually an aunt or sometimes grandmother is assigned to talk to her about gukuna imishino. She explains to the girl that she is about to become a woman and should prepare for adulthood by modifying her labia minora. In the olden days girls of about the same age would leave their homes for the forest ostensibly to cut brooms as the practice was commonly known. While in the forest they would gather herbs such as Bidens pilosa and Solanum aculeastrum Dunal. Solanum aculeastrum Dunal is a small shrub native to tropical Africa and South Africa. Its common names in English include soda apple, soddom apple and goat apple. The Nyarwanda call it umutobotobo. The Nyarwanda name for Bidens pilosa is nyabarasanya. The berries of the umutobotobo are initially roasted in fire transforming its core into a paste like mixture which can be applied to the labia minora. The Nyarwanda believe that it ‘pulls’ blood to the applied area (labia minora), which makes the stretching more effective.
Alternatively, the paste-like core of the berry can be mixed with cow butter into a fine paste. The girls would then pair up and then holding both lips simultaneously, they would pull at each other’s labia minora for 10 to 20 minutes daily. In recent times however, the tradition of visiting the forest to ‘cut brooms’ is much less common. Young girls perform the pulling in the comfort of their bedrooms or bathrooms. All that one need is some petroleum jelly and the aforementioned herbs (optional). When using Bidens pilosa (nyabarasanya) to aid in the pulling, the herbs must be ground into fine particles and then made into a fine paste by mixing with the jelly. When using the berries of the umutobotobo, the fruits can be roasted in charcoal to turn the core of the fruit into a paste. The paste can then be applied to the labia minora on its own or by mixing it with a little jelly. Notably, ALL applications must be made on the external parts of the labia monora only. It always helps to have a partner with whom to pair up but in the absence of one, gukuna imishino can still be performed as a solitary exercise. After applying the paste to the first three fingers, the individual should hold the lips between the thumb and the index finger and then pull vertically for about 10 to 20 minutes every day. Upon achieving the desired length of the labia, one can discontinue the practice.
Labial Elongation and Pertinent Issues
Health Concerns
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified labial stretching under type 4 of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). From the onset it must be underscored that as opposed to Female Genital Mutilation which involves the cutting or removal of various parts of the female sexual genitalia, elongation of the labia is actually the reverse. Also, while all FGM practices have the effect of limiting or eliminating altogether sexual pleasure for women, labial elongation has not been demonstrated to have any such effect, in fact, on the contrary it enhances female orgasm. Based on these points many scholars and defenders of the practice have rightly argued that the term Female Genital Modification be used to refer to elongation of the labia minora. The same premise continues to be used to persuade the WHO to exclude the practice of labial stretching from the category of type 4 FGM. In several countries in Europe, a growing number of women who are desirous of smaller inner lips have sought cosmetic surgery to reduce the size of their labia minora. Strangely though, this is not included as an FGM practice by the WHO.
Arguments have been made by those opposed to the practice of labial stretching claiming that it increases the risk of transmission of HIV and AIDs and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Despite this claims, no scientific proofs from any substantive research work has been presented to augment the same. Contrary to what Western scholars and writers depict of the practice, it is fairly safe when conducted in the right manner as is usually the case. When a third party is involved such as an older female relative, she is usually required to wear gloves. Mild itching and some pain may occur though especially at the initial stages of pulling.
Other Concerns
Legitimate concerns have been raised though about the matter of an individual’s autonomy over their body given that in most communities, the practice is performed by girls at puberty before attaining the majority age. Child rights activists have discredited the practice as an abuse of the child’s right in the sense that more often than not, they are not presented the opportunity to choose whether to have their labia modified or not.
Conclusion
Far from what many Western writers have reported and written about the practice of labial stretching, the tradition does not pose any real threats to individuals who practice it. In actual fact it holds promise as a remedy for ensuring that marriages are protected by a healthy and satisfying sex life for both partners and gives a proud sense of identity and belonging for the women of the community. For several centuries, African communities have practiced this tradition and are not just about to abandon it because they understand the role that it continues to play in promoting healthy sex lives among couples. Researchers and scholars continue to pour themselves into the tradition in a bid to understand it, but the jury is out as to whether they will get to the bottom of it because certain conversations around sex and sexuality still remains guarded in most African communities.