According to these sociologists, around puberty, many Rwandan girls lengthen the labia minora by up to 5 cm by applying plants with anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties.
Young girls tend to pluck their labia as a common practice among Rwandan girls going through puberty. Gukuna imishino or guca imyeyo literally means “to cut brooms” and is that the girls used to go out to the bushes in groups, and when asked where they were going, they answered that they were going to go out to the bushes in search of grass, which would later become on brooms. This was because men weren’t supposed to know what they were actually doing. And what they were really doing was gently pulling their inner labia outward so that after a while the overall shape would remain unchanged, but these would end up sticking out downward, like a definite lengthening of the labia.
The reason for this practice, according to the people interviewed, is that the gukuna imishino promotes female ejaculation. Thus, this practice is done to create more pleasure for the woman during sexual intercourse; Larger labia are easier to find / touch and can cover more of the penis to experience greater sexual pleasure for both partners.
Therefore, Koster and Price believe that this custom cannot be considered a form of genital mutilation. They prefer to talk about genital modification, since their objective is not to repress female sexuality. Although not everyone thinks that way.
Thus, the process of elongation of the vaginal lips or in Kinyarwanda: Gukuna Imishino was practiced for a long time by young women as a way to prepare them to become adult women, although according to what they point out, it is a primitive practice and that, apparently , is no longer important in Rwandan society.
Has this practice completely disappeared due to the social and cultural advancement of women?
Uganda’s own Minister of Gender and Family Affairs, Peace Mutuuzo, warned young women in 2020 not to take part in any activity aimed at increasing the length of their genitalia. Mutuuzo said the government will find ways to talk to girls, especially those in elementary schools. They hope to speak to the people who are cheering them on and those who continue to carry out the ancient ritual.
This practice is not only carried out in Rwanda because it is a tradition among girls in central and southern Uganda.
In developed countries, critics of this culture say it is outdated and very negative.
Mutuuzo said the government plans to increase funding for activities against female genital mutilation, especially in eastern Uganda , where girls are still circumcised as part of their sex drive.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), between 100 and 140 million women and girls worldwide undergo one of the procedures based on female genital mutilation.
