Of rape, infidelity and hitching abride Karamoja-style

By GRACE NAKATO

Rape is about power. Rape is not about pleasure or romance. Foolhardy is the rapist who attempts to kiss his victim, most especially if she hails from a village called Kichinjaji. You can be sure the maidens in that village have not heard of Mills & Boon — romance books that propagate the myth that when a woman says no she actually means yes and wants to be “taken by force”, impregnated and deserted. In those books when the man returns a few years down the line, the woman’s heart has mellowed and she can be wooed and walked down the aisle to marital bliss.

Rancid

Agnes is a 21-year-old girl who was attacked at 1a.m. in her grass-thatched house by a rapist. Her door was kicked-open, and her neck caught in a vice-like grip by a man reeking of local brew. He ordered her not to utter a sound and pushed her to the floor. The tables were, however, turned when he attempted to kiss her with his rancid breath. She bit down hard on his tongue slicing it. His ardor was instantly doused and he fled the scene as she spat the meaty chunk onto the floor. She waited for daybreak to seek help from law enforcement officers. As we speak, there is an APB (All Points Bulletin) out for anyone spotted with a mutilated tongue. I wonder what he told his cronies to explain his sudden mangled speech.

In yet another village with an interesting moniker, Komamboga, Kaye lost his lip in a domestic altercation with his wife when he accused her of infidelity.

Infidelity

 Kaye came home early from work and found his wife — Nambozze, out. His attempts to reach her via mobile phone were fruitless and when she returned home in the evening, she said she had visited her friend. She defended herself claiming that she did not hear her phone ring as it was on silent mode. Upon accusing her of infidelity, a scuffle akin to Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield legendary fight ensued ending with Kaye’s lip between Nambozze’s teeth.

Consent

Could she have been trying to make him take back his words or he thought that was her idea of foreplay? Nambozze is now in the coolers, as Kaye seeks medical attention.

In Karamoja, the land of warrior nomads, there is no rape. If a man identifies a potential wife, he simply waits for the next village dance and waylays her on her way home. If she is lucky, he will have attempted to dance with her and thus making his intentions known, and she would wisely avoid deserted village paths on her way home. The young women expect a potential husband to sweet her down, carry her off to his hut and subject her to the horizontal dance with or without her consent. Thereafter, the man will approach her parents and start dowry negotiations. There is a twist, however, should a wealthier man find her attractive, he can “buy” her and any children she has conceived should her husband fail to raise the requisite number of cows – 40 cows being the baseline or minimal.