Traditional ritual includes VMMC

Members of the Shangani ethnic group in Zimbabwe are increasingly embracing modern methods of male circumcision, TellZim News reports. The Shangani and Lemba cultures are the only groups with a history of male circumcision in Zimbabwe, but until recently they have resisted government attempts to improve the practice. A shift in that stance was apparent during the Shangani graduation ceremony of 665 young men after a four-week process that included the provision of medical male circumcision. In the article, a traditional leader and a graduate praise the safety of the medical procedure. The provincial AIDS coordinator is quoted as saying that since the National AIDS Council and Population Services International began assisting with male circumcisions in 2009, they have received no reports of deaths occurring during the annual circumcision ritual (TellZim News, September 2016).