«Kuenda kumwedzi-Maropafadzo!»
«Menstruation is a bloody joy!»

I had heard from school and I had seen other girls spoil their seats, so I knew that girls bleed. My menarche was rather late- at the age of 16, well after many of my peers. The day I got my period, I felt a sense of pride and relief, I am normal, I am a woman, I am like the other girls.

I ran to my mum, lifted up my skirt and proudly said, «Mum, look!»

My mum screamed and said, «0h no, from now on we are going to eat dirt.»

I was overcome with embarrassment and confusion. Was this not the expectation? Was this wrong? I had always helped in the kitchen and prepared meals like all the girls in my neighbourhood. No one had mentioned eating dirt.

The reaction of my mum is nothing new. My mum is caring and kind and would put her life on the line for her children. Many of my friends, with caring mums also experienced similar reactions. In the Shona culture, the role of sex education and periods was left to aunts. That was practical as long as the family lived together as a tribe. With urbanization, the nuclear family lived separate from the rest of the tribe. Aunts visited from time to time but were not around the whole year around.

Menstruation and uncleanness

My mum used the word dirt and that is not so different from some beliefs. Some people even quote the bible verse Leviticus 15 v19 which says:

«When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.»

I think what my mum wanted to say was that hygiene is important during menstruation. Our bodies immune systems are lower at this time and the moisture is favourable for bacteria to thrive. Washing the genital area at least twice a day is advisable.

«Kuenda kumwedzi-Maropafadzo!»
«Menstruation is a bloody joy!»