Negative Cultural Practices in Blossoms of the Savannah

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION.

Joseph Parmuat narrated to Resian and Taiyo how the practice was started by women to resist the evil Ilarinkoi, Taiyo and Resian are determined to fight it. Resian is very much against this retrogressive practice. She says, “I would rather live in the noisiest place on earth, than live anywhere near a vagabond who would accost me…with the intention of mutilating my sexuality”.  She later on manages to escape the brutal practice however her Sister Taiyo barely makes it having been forcibly cut. F.G.M is so highly regarded in Nasila that no girl would get married before getting circumcised. 

EARLY MARRIAGE AND FORCED MARRIAGE

Resian and Taiyo condemn the practice especially of booking unborn baby girls. This denies women a chance to choose their marriage partners based on love but not what is dictated upon them by their parents. For Instance, Resian is optimistic and wishes to enroll at Egerton University However; her father organizes for her to marry Oloisudori behind her back. She goes through a lot of challenges in order to overcome this plan. When she escapes from Oloisudori’s net, she is subjected to another forced marriage to Olarinkoi but she also escapes it. Taiyo also forcefully undergoes FGM to prepare her as a wife.

MALE CHAUVINISM

It is an old-fashioned tradition that is still embraced by individuals such as Ole Kaelo, Oloisudori. Men believe they are superior in terms of ability, intelligence. Ole Kaelo hopes that his second born would be a boy, who would carry his name to the next generation but instead, he gets a girl that he lives to hate. Women also lack any say in the matters affecting them for example Mama Milanoi.  She is in a dilemma to either save her marriage or daughters and ends up choosing her marriage. She cannot stand up against her husband, Ole Kaelo. Resian is pissed off when Yeiyo Botorr supports men saying that she should not talk ill of men. Taiyo and Resian are also assaulted by men (Lante, Ntara, Olarinkoi...) in the community for they are considered insignificant.

MARRIAGE FROM THE SAME CLAN

Taiyo is not happy because she cannot be in a relationship with Joseph Permuat because they belong to the same clan. Though they aren’t related. According to Nasila culture, if such people married, there would be untold consequences.  Taiyo finds this as a “gross unfairness of the outdated culture”.  Joseph fears going against that tradition because he would be reprimanded and punished for doing such a thing.  According to the book such a person would be forced to pay cattle as compensation and undergo a demeaning cleansing ceremony as well as a public rebuke. Taiyo observes that such practices should have been scrapped.