Comments on: Malawian Man Claims To Have Grown A Vagina http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/08/18/25505 News, analysis and fact-checking of anti-gay rhetoric Fri, 24 May 2013 02:17:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Chris McCoy http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/08/18/25505/comment-page-1#comment-76113 Chris McCoy Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:11:54 +0000 http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=25505#comment-76113 I suspect that this is a form of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koro_(medicine)" rel="nofollow">Koro</a>, which is rampant in Asia and in Africa; where individuals believe that their genitalia are shrinking or have disappeared altogether. <a href="http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/06/0082063" rel="nofollow">This article</a> in Harper's goes into some detail about the extent of Koro in Africa. I suspect that this is a form of Koro, which is rampant in Asia and in Africa; where individuals believe that their genitalia are shrinking or have disappeared altogether.

This article in Harper’s goes into some detail about the extent of Koro in Africa.

]]> By: Franck http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/08/18/25505/comment-page-1#comment-76075 Franck Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:47:36 +0000 http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=25505#comment-76075 Commenting as an African here. The key in understanding the difference in treatment is the way these people see themselves. Chimbalanga identified HERSELF as a woman and thus was seen as succumbing by her own will to a "Western mental illness/aberration". Mateyu, on the other hand, claims to be an unwilling victim to some evil magical act. Africans are big believers of magical acts. I live in a country where beating a woman to death over accusations of being a witch has been reported as happening at least half a dozen times since the start of this century. The people will often find it heroic for someone to "stand up and denounce evil magical acts committed against them," hence Mateyu's sudden celebrity. Commenting as an African here. The key in understanding the difference in treatment is the way these people see themselves. Chimbalanga identified HERSELF as a woman and thus was seen as succumbing by her own will to a “Western mental illness/aberration”. Mateyu, on the other hand, claims to be an unwilling victim to some evil magical act.

Africans are big believers of magical acts. I live in a country where beating a woman to death over accusations of being a witch has been reported as happening at least half a dozen times since the start of this century. The people will often find it heroic for someone to “stand up and denounce evil magical acts committed against them,” hence Mateyu’s sudden celebrity.

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