Page 87 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 17

History

by Paul Ngige Njoroge, a Kenyan ting Alsatian police dogs to maul Agikuyu teous “superior white race” and an
author. men to death, tying people to Land Rovers “inferior savage black race.”
ending with mangled bodies, or inserting
Under the chapter “Making the ulti- bottles into women’s birth canals. The As I read the book Male Practice:
mate sacrifice” where he dealt with the white man is amazing for his capacity for How Doctors Manipulate Women,
Mau Mau uprising, he said some- deception, especially self deception. He the author, Dr Robert S. Mendel-
thing about the name Mau Mau, talked about the “bestiality” and “savage- sohn, MD, shared a very horrifying
“The name Mau Mau has uncertain ry” of Mau Mau - while practicing some story of the man Dr. J. Marion Sims,
origins. Some people have speculated that of the worst kinds of violence against the whom the world calls the father of
colonial government agents heard people person known to humanity. Today he is the Gynecology due to his contribution
reverse the sounds of the words Uma great champion of human rights - while to the field of women’s health.
Uma whicch means “get out get out” when still murdering people in Afganistan and
they were found administering the oath.” Libya. But in reality, the white man is the To quote Dr Robert, he wrote
He went on to say “But the adherents greatest worshipper of what Shakespeare “I have always found it fascinating and
of the freedom movement did not always called the “hideous god of war”, a god that appropriate that one of those early gynecol-
refer to themselves as Mau Mau; and exacts sacrifices in murdered bodies, muti- ogists, Dr. J. Marion Sims, is revered by
it is important to note that the colonial lated bodies and the blood of infants.” contemporary practitioners as the ‘father of
propagandists used the name Mau Mau by gynecology’. The basis of this recognition
way of the demonization of a legitimate Imagine all of the atrocities that was Sims’ role as founder of the New
rebellion against colonial oppression. The were meted out against the Mau York Women’s Hospital, as inventor of
colonial propagandists could self-righteously Mau and the people of Kenya a number of surgical instruments and,
convince themselves that they were dealing during the revolt was “to justify their most significant, as developer of a surgical
with an “atavist” movement created by intention to eliminate this threat to their technique to close vesicovaginal fistulas,
people with “diseased minds” and justify to comfortable stay in Kenya.” Imagine a condition in which there is an opening
themselves the inhuman brutality, terror, such arrogance, self-deception and between the bladder and the vagina. The
violence that they visited on Mau Mau wickedness. To the self-deceived latter achievement also won him another
adherents and the Agikuyu, Ambeere, white man, it is ok to come into title, ‘the architect of the vagina’.
Aembu and Ameru generally...The na- another man’s land, eject them When Sims died, the Journal of the
tionalist army gave itself the name Kenya from the land and then kill them American Medical Association was
Land and Freedom Army.” when they revolt and ask for their extravagant in its praise. His memory the
land back. So, the settlers and the whole profession loves to honor for by his
Now, if the name Mau Mau was not officials of the colonial government genius and devotion to medical science, he
the original name of the freedom who created the boogeyman of Mau advanced it in its resources to relieve hu-
fighters and if Mau Mau was a Mau Evil, to kill Mau Mau fol- man suffering as much, if not more, than
demonization of the true cause lowers was justified - because they anyone who has lived within the century.
of the freedom fighters, how then would be eliminating an evil thing,
did history only record Mau Mau a disease. Imagine such pride and Who was this compassionate genius?
as their name and not Kenya Land arrogance. Sims became a general practitioner in the
and Freedom Army? Your guess south in 1835. Initially, he shared with
is as good as mine. The distortion The “holy” murderous “father other physicians of the time a distaste for
of history to suit the narrative of a of Gynecology” gynecological problems and avoided treating
“superior British” and the “inferior Apologies to doctors who are them. He was led into the field by chance,
and disease minded Kenyan guerrilla reading this part, especially gyne- when he became intrigued with the case
fighters.” cologists, or their family members. of a female slave named Anarcha, who
It is sad that you guys have a great developed a vesicovaginal fistula because of
Writing about the double standards trade in helping and saving women, instrument damage Sims inflicted on her
that the white man, in this case, the and that, I appreciate deeply, but the while delivering a baby.
British used in passing judgment history of your trade is nonetheless Remember that this was an era during
during the bloody uprising, Paul steeped in some dark, bloody and which female slaves were valued mainly
Njoroge says “The double standards are evil practices, which must be spoken for the babies which they could produce,
mind-boggling: the same whites were not about, especially as it sheds light on an era when some plantations were huge
repelled when they used the most degraded the white man’s mastery of distort- slave breeding farms. Sims knew that
forms of torture, like castrating men, get- ing history to fit a clean and righ- because Anarcha was no longer able to

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