Does a foreskin have magical powers?

Many traditional Zambians believe that it does. They believe it can attract wealth, or that losing it will reduce your earning power as man. This is according to senior Ngoni Ishmael Sibanda, interviewed in the Zambian Daily Mail.

Sibanda said he's heard that clinics are reporting that traders want to buy foreskins they remove during circumcisions. He’s heard that they are being sold in Mozambique for rituals and sacrifices. This he believes is why his people are poor but young men in Mozambique are buying cars and getting rich.

These myths are frustrating to medical professionals. Sibanda lives in an area on the border with Malawi with a high HIV rate. But many guys there are sceptical. They are scared of these myths and only 617 have been circumcised out of a population of over 31,000 males.

According to the World Health Organisation, a voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) reduces the risk of female-to-male sexual transmission of HIV by approximately 60%.

His wife wants him to have the procedure. She says she has learned at the clinic that the procedure reduces the risk of human papillomavirus and consequently cervical cancer and HIV for the man. It’s also easier for them to stay clean.

But she says Sibanda is the head of the family and it’s his decision.

The National AIDS Council is on a drive encourage all Zambian guys aged 15 - 49 to have a voluntary medical circumcision to reduce their chance of getting HIV. Visit your clinic to book an appointment.

Guys, remember you still need to use a condom because being circumcised won’t protect you or your lady from HIV.

Do you know why the foreskin is more vulnerable to HIV? Read below.