Ulwaluko

Ulwaluko is the name for traditional circumcision as practised by the Xhosa of South Africa.

Video

The Eastern Cape Province of South Africa is home to the Xhosa people, one of the nation's largest tribes. They live in the modern world, but they maintain ancient customs—including one by which boys become men...and starts with pain.

Ulwaluko: Photos

Note: The photographs collection shown on this page have originally been hosted online on http://ulwaluko.co.za/Photos.html. Sometime in 2020, the photos have been deleted there, but were still available on the Internet Archive. As of September 2024, the whole website ulwaluko.co.za is no longer available.

These selected photographs were taken in various health institutions in the Eastern Cape during 2012 and 2013. They illustrate the magnitude of the problem faced by medical practitioners during the initiation seasons.

Informed consent has been obtained for each clinical photograph shown. Every effort has been made to ensure anonymity and all metadata has been removed. Some photographs have been edited digitally to enhance colours and contrast.

Mia Malan, the health editor of the Mail and Guardian newspaper, wrote two articles about the boys behind the photographs: 'the boys who lost their manhood' and 'play speaks for maimed initiates'. Both articles are excruciating reads.

Please be warned that most photographs are graphic. Scroll down to view them.

Photo categories

The photos are categorized for various types of circumcision damages which can be easily found when sorting the following table by Type:

• Abscess
• Abuse
• Amputee
• Death
• Deformed
• Epithelium loss
• Gangrene
• Incomplete
• Infected
• Large wound
• Muthi
• Nose pulling
• Pressure sores
• Rotting
• Skewed
• Skin loss
• SPC
• Swollen glans
• Tissue loss
• Torture
• Urethral injury

Ulwaluko photos collection

#	Type	Image
001	Infected
002	Skin loss
003 a	Infected
003 b	Infected
004	Incomplete
005	Muthi
006	Infected
007	Incomplete
008	Muthi
009	Infected
010	Infected
011	Incomplete
012	Muthi
013	Gangrene
014	Infected
015	Infected
016	Muthi
017	Large wound
018	Epithelium loss
019	Incomplete
020	Gangrene
021	Deformed
022	Infected
023	Epithelium loss
024	Infected
025	Large wound
026	Rotting
027	Death
028	Skin loss
029	Epithelium loss
030	Incomplete
031	Skewed
032	Skin loss
033	Death
034	Incomplete
035	Amputee
036	Infected
037	Deformed
038	Skin loss
039	Infected
040	Infected
041	Deformed
042	Epithelium loss
043	Amputee
044 a	Gangrene
044 b	Gangrene
044 c	Gangrene
044 d	Gangrene
044 e	Gangrene
045	Death
046 a	Infected
046 b	Infected
047 a	Gangrene
047 b	Gangrene
047 c	Gangrene
047 d	Gangrene
048	Epithelium loss
049	Tight bandage
050	Large wound
051	Infected
052 a	Gangrene
052 b	Gangrene
052 c	Gangrene
052 d	Gangrene
053 a	Large wound
053 b	Large wound
054	Muthi
055 a	Gangrene
055 b	Gangrene
055 c	Gangrene
056	Epithelium loss
057 a	Large wound
057 b	Large wound
058	Infected
059	Torture
060 a	Incomplete
060 b	Incomplete
061	Epithelium loss
062	Deformed
063 a	Gangrene
063 b	Gangrene
063 c	Gangrene
064	Epithelium loss
065	Nose pulling
066 a	Deformed
066 b	Deformed
067	Infected
068	Infected
069	Epithelium loss
070	Infected
071	Epithelium loss
072	Deformed
073	Amputee
074	Epithelium loss
075	Epithelium loss
076	Large wound
077	Amputee
078	Infected
079	Epithelium loss
080	Amputee
081	Abuse
082	Epithelium loss
083	Epithelium loss
084	Skin loss
085	Infected
086	Epithelium loss
087	Infected
088	Infected
089	Infected
090	Abscess
091	Epithelium loss
092	Infected
093	Muthi
094 a	Gangrene
094 b	Gangrene
094 c	Gangrene
095	Epithelium loss
096	Infected
097 a	Gangrene
097 b	Gangrene
097 c	Gangrene
097 d	Gangrene
097 e	Gangrene
098	Epithelium loss
099	Infected
100	Epithelium loss
101 a	Gangrene
101 b	Gangrene
101 c	Gangrene
102	Tissue loss
103	Skin loss
104	Amputee
105 a	Gangrene
105 b	Gangrene
105 c	Gangrene
105 d	Gangrene
106	Abscess
107	Infected
108 a	Gangrene
108 b	Gangrene
108 c	Gangrene
109	Skin loss
110	Large wound
111	Infected
112 a	Gangrene
112 b	Gangrene
112 c	Gangrene
113	Large wound
114	Infected
115	Hypospadias
116	Skin loss
117	Skin loss
118	Infected
119	Skin loss
120	Infected
121	Amputee
122 a	Gangrene
122 b	Gangrene
122 c	Gangrene
122 d	Gangrene
123	Skin loss
124	Skin loss
125	Epithelium loss
126	Epithelium loss
127	Infected
128	Epithelium loss
129	Infected
130	Gangrene
131	Infected
132	Epithelium loss
133	Epithelium loss
134 a	Gangrene
134 b	Gangrene
134 c	Gangrene
135	Tissue loss
136	Infected
137	Infected
138	Infected
139 a	Gangrene
139 b	Gangrene
140	Amputee
141	Skin loss
142	Deformed
143 a	Gangrene
143 b	Gangrene
144	Torture
145	Tissue loss
146	Amputee
147	SPC
148	Skin loss
149	Amputee
150	Epithelium loss
151	Pressure sores
152	Amputee
153 a	Gangrene
153 b	Gangrene
154	Amputee
155	Abuse

See also

• Fatalities
• People & Power - Ndiyindoda: I am a man
• Wikipedia article: Muti. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
• South Africa
• Uganda circumcision, a video showing literally skinning the penis of an adolescent.

External links

• Ulwaluko: Photos (archive URL). Retrieved 2 November 2023.
• Wikipedia article: Muti. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
• (19 July 1996)."Initiation horror as four dead", Eastern Province Herald. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  Quote: Of the 36 admitted to St Elizabeth and Holycross hospitals with septic wounds, three had lost their manhood and two others may lose their male organs.
• Fihlani, Pumza (20 December 2019)."South Africa initiation schools suspended after circumcision deaths", British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
• 106 Xhosa Initiation Stock Photos & High-Res Pictures, gettyimages. Retrieved 2 September 2024.