Imbalu
public circumcision ceremony by the Bamasaba people of Uganda
Ostuganda · Uganda
🗓️ When?
—
No date recorded — please check with the organiser.
📍 Where?
This position is the town's, not the festival ground's.
ℹ️ Details
- Organiser
- Gisu people
- Status
- unclear
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📖 Excerpt from the Wikipedia article
Imbalu is a public circumcision ceremony practiced by the Bamasaba people of Uganda. It takes place at the Mutoto cultural site near Mbale in eastern Uganda. It is mostly active in the 8th month of every even year. According to Bamasaaba cultural tradition, the site is associated with the circumcision of the first Mugisu. This community affair is characterized by dance and food. The ceremony has been heavily promoted as a tourist attraction, and tens of thousands of people attend. Imbalu marks the initiation of boys into manhood and every year, hundreds of boys aged 16 and above qualify for the Imbalu. In 2022, about 6,000 boys were initiated into manhood during the cultural ceremony that happens every year. This is because the ceremony had not happened ever since 2020 when Uganda was locked down due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia article „Imbalu“ (en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0.