The Tiriki have lost on 2025 circumcision “culture cash” as Logooli lost in 2023

Women carrying porridge pots. Pic source: Facebook

Investment has been done – and much more continues to – with intent to awaken communities as Tiriki and Logooli that their culture is marketable and they can rip big if they explore that side of it. 

Yet Vihiga communities seem only consumers of the knowledge and passive to the capacity buildings as done by IKDoDi programme (among others) since 2021 in Vihiga. And if you cannot apply knowledge when it is hot in an opportune time, then when?

The Tiriki Circumcision, akin to Logooli in catalyzing community togetherness, is a best time to package all the cultural assets together and market within, nationally and abroad. Every member of the community – the young, youths, men and women and elders are engaged in one way or another.

At reach are all key cultural assets; medicine, foods, music and dance, traditional industry, governance and shrines/traditional sites. All for expositions and marketing! 

The Tiriki boast of 52 Khavunyonjes, well-preserved tropical forests patches, protected from human encroach. As the forests act as seclusion zones, they are environmentally of huge importance. Due to poor organizing, they would as well be as Logooli who but nurses initiates in house rooms. 

Planning for the 2025 circumcision ceremony would not belabor the poor cultural Tiriki households. On the least a household with a ready boy was to have Ksh. 50,000/- to meet khavunyonje demands. What if the Tiriki elders owned this budget and through prior marketing of the mentioned cultural assets they did scout for resources?

Circumcision of the Tiriki is 5 years apart while the Logooli 7-8 years. The years between is enough to plan for the next through target culture-marketting days. Yet it often gets the communities off-guard. They start on a nil account and close the ceremonies on a nil account. 

Stakeholders as the County Government would on the least patronize one of the Khavunyonjes as a temporary cutural centre in its cultural ideal presentation, offer opportunities for research, tourism and cultural celebration.

And now with the event on, Tiriki Cultural Dance is a seller! What is the role of Hamisi stadium if it cannot gather us all by ticket to appreciate the beauty of music and dance? Or to entertain ourselves with other cultural games as wrestling, plays and acts, athletics and more – all attached to the circumcision event. 

It’d be then wise and not foolish to say past times were better? For planning and preparations cushioned all. Even after seclusion the initiates would amass wealth from relatives they went to visit. The initiates of today are not lucky. The people their parents are inviting from August 18 to celebrate the end of it will hardly be carrying worthy presents as goats, sheep, hens, bicycles or books! 

For now that nothing is happening we can as well consider our community togetherness and cultural marketing a delusion. There is no deliberateness to action, the county government has its dodgy excuses, communities not as harmonious as thought and cultural assets probably hang about to haunt. 

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The Author is the President of Young Cultural Champions of Vihiga County.