Animal rights versus culture

THE Zulu ritual of Ukweshwama – in which warriors use their bare hands to kill a bull to mark the first fruits before the crops are harvested – has provoked a raging debate.

Animal Rights Africa (ARA) has turned to the courts to prevent this year’s ritual from taking place. In its court interdict application before Judge Nic van der Reyden, ARA wants the bull to be saved from “what we consider to be a cruel and protracted death”.

ARA argues that its action is not driven by any anti-Zulu culture sentiment, but says “our culture of animal rights demands that we oppose cruelty wherever it occurs”. If truth be told, cruelty to animals or human beings or nature has no place in our society and must therefore be rooted out.

The Ukweshwama ritual is presided over by the Zulu king. The age-old custom requires young men to kill the bull with their bare hands (no knives or spears involved) as a demonstration of their courage… a sort of coming of age for the young warriors. This method of killing the bull also involves young warriors simultaneously trampling on the beast, suffocating it and pulling out its tongue. It is said that it takes about 10 (while some say 40) minutes for the bull to die.

The sacrificial bull does indeed meet its death in a cruel manner in the name of culture. The ARA makes it clear that its case against the ritual is “simply and undeniably about cruelty to a sentient being, and any cultural practice that not only involves cruelty but also contravenes anti-cruelty legislation must be subjected to public scrutiny”.

That the ritual is cruel in nature is not in doubt, but looking at the issue in a narrow-minded and emotionally charged way prevents one from seeing the bigger picture and fully comprehending the purpose of the ritual.

It must be borne in mind that this barehanded killing of a bull is not done to satisfy man’s sadistic nature. If that were the case, then those responsible for the practice would have been long prosecuted and the custom done away with. But here we have a ritual that is central to Zulu culture. This has been practised for years.

Mind you, ours is a constitutional state which fully recognises our diversity and different cultures.

The ANC’s Commission on Religious and Traditional Affairs says: “The first fruit harvest celebrations form part of African culture and religion and are more common to the indigenous people of South Africa as a whole.”

Just like Jesus died cruelly on the cross as the sacrifice for mankind in order for us to be cleansed of our sins and be able to return to live with God, the same principle (here in the name of culture, not Christianity) – but for a different purpose – applies to the bare handed killing of the bull. Call it barbaric or whatever, Ukweshwama does enjoy constitutional protection.

In this case, rights of humans to practise their culture trump the rights of animals. Having said that, people who practise their culture must do so in a manner that does not involve cruelty. Without any intention to be in con tempt of court, any sober judge would dismiss the court interdict application by ARA. The Ukweshwama ritual will go on tomorrow.

Cedric Mboyisa is political editor of The Citizen. This article first appeared in The Citizen.