Kunyaza

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Kunyaza is the Rwanda-Rundi name given to a sexual practice found in the Great Lakes region of East Africa which is meant to facilitate female orgasm and female ejaculation during intercourse.

Contents

Terminology

The Rwanda-Rundi word kunyaza is derived from the verb kunyaàra, meaning "to urinate" but also signifying female ejaculation achieved by the practice. [1] It is known with various names in different regions, the regular Ugandan term being kakyabali (often transliterated kachabali in anglicised spelling) or "Western Jazz" in slang, due to its prevalence in western regions such as Ankole. [2] In that the term is now being used in English-language sources in Europe and North America, it can be considered an English word of African origin. The word/term "Kunyara" as used by the Bakiga of the south western Uganda bordering Congo and Rwanda, simply means to pee. The bakinga used a penis rubbing in form of a whipping motion usually up and down the woman's vulva stimulating both the labia and mainly the clitoris. Bakiga and mostly men in Africa had no foreplay so this for bakiga was a form of getting the woman to get in the mood before any penetration. It is so stimulating that it turned out to be the entire sex course penetrating when the man is about to ejaculate.

Geographic extent

Kunyaza is present particularly in Rwanda, Burundi, western Uganda, western Tanzania, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and some parts of Kenya. [3] A 2008 survey with Rwandan male respondents suggested that female European visitors to the country are being introduced to the practice by local men. [4] During the 2010s, the practice saw spread through social media to Kenya. [5] [6]

History

Kunyaza is usually considered a traditional practice in Rwanda. Folk tradition suggests that it dates back to the Third Dynasty rule: as the story has it, the queen chose one of her guards to have sex with, but he suffered performance anxiety and failed to penetrate her. Instead, his penis rubbing against her labia and clitoris gave her satisfaction. [7]

Technique

Publicised by Dr. Nsekuye Bizimana as a secure means to achieve female orgasm, often in the form of ejaculation, kunyaza involves a non-penetrative and a penetrative phase in progression:

  1. The male partner first stimulates the labia minora of the female partner by tapping and also rubbing with his penis and then, at a certain level of arousal, proceeds to stimulate the internal surfaces of the labia minora and the vulval vestibule, including the urinary meatus in the same manner, followed by stimulation of the clitoris, vulval vestibule, labia minora and the vaginal opening. [8] Removal of the female partner's pubic hair is advised for more comfortable manipulation of the penis. [9]
  2. The male partner penetrates the vagina with alternating shallow thrusts (gucuga) at the vaginal opening with deep thrusts (gucumita) pushing against the cervix while maintaining exaggerated circular movements between vagina walls in a "screwing" fashion during penetration, often facilitating the movement by holding the penis between the middle and the index finger. [8] [10] [11]

Nevertheless, other researchers emphasise that the version introduced by Dr. Bizimana diverts from the traditional kunyaza in fully omitting the labia elongation technique of gukuna, which is in fact seen as integral to kunyaza. [1]

Significance

As kunyaza involves some commitment of time, and, on the part of the man, restraint, it is posited as a relationship signifier. "A man only kunyazas a woman that he really cares for, whereas it would be odd to kunyaza a sex worker." [12]

Kunyaza is "the easiest and most effective technique to achieve female ejaculation," according to American sexual health educator, Angelica Lindsey-Ali, also known as The Village Auntie. Rwandan sexologist Vestine Dusabe said that 90% of women experience female ejaculation from kunyaza. [13]

Kunyaza is a recommended heterosexual practice for women to achieve sexual pleasure without penetration, according to international female magazine Cosmopolitan. [14]

In books and media

A formulated version of kunyaza was introduced to the Western public in books Weiblicher Orgasmus und weibliche Ejakulation dank afrikanischer Liebeskunst (2005) and Le secret de l’amour à l’africaine (2008) by traditional medicine specialist Nsekuye Bizimana, a Rwandan based in Germany. [3] A Chinese translation of Le secret de l’amour à l’africaine was published in Hong Kong in 2010. [15]

Kunyaza and other Rwandan sexual practices were featured in the TV5 Québec Canada documentary Le Sexe autour du monde: Rwanda aired in January 2011. [16] [17] The instructional DVD Kunyaza - Afrikanische Liebeskunst by erotic film director Pierre Roshan was released by German IntimateFilm in 2011. [18] The practice (under the Ugandan name kachabali) was a topic in the SBS One documentary The Sunny Side of Sex: Uganda aired in December 2012. [19] [20] ProSieben news magazine Unter fremden Decken aired the episode Sex in Ruanda that focused on kunyaza in November 2013. [21]

In 2016, the documentary Sacred Water by Belgian filmmaker Olivier Jourdain, which has kunyaza as the subject matter, premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. [22] The documentary was released on DocsOnline in 2017.

Kunyaza: The Secret to Female Pleasure (2018), by British Nigerian Habeeb Akande, is the first book published on the subject in English. [23]

In May 2020, the BBC World Service broadcast "The Orgasm Gap", an episode of The Documentary Podcast as part of its Life Changes season. The two female reporters, named only as Lily and Kay, explore the omission of sexual pleasure from sex education in the UK, and travel to Rwanda to find out about Kunyaza, as a practise which focusses on female sexual pleasure, leading the woman to orgasm, and to ‘squirt’, what is referred to as ‘sacred water’. There they interviewed the sexologist Vestine Dusabe, but were concerned to discover that labia elongation was an associated cultural practice. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clitoris</span> Erectile female sexual organ

In many animals, the clitoris is a female sex organ. In humans, it is the vulva's most sensitive erogenous zone and generally the primary anatomical source of female sexual pleasure. The clitoris is a complex structure, and its size and sensitivity can vary. The visible portion, the glans, of the clitoris is roughly the size and shape of a pea and is estimated to have 8,000 and possibly more than 10,000 sensory nerve endings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labia minora</span> Flaps of skin on either side of the vaginal opening in the vulva

The labia minora, also known as the inner labia, inner lips, or nymphae, are two flaps of skin that are part of the primate vulva, extending outwards from the vaginal and urethral openings to encompass the vestibule. The labia minora are situated between the labia majora and together form the labia. They vary widely in size, color and shape from individual to individual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orgasm</span> Intense physical sensation of sexual release

Orgasm or sexual climax is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region characterized by sexual pleasure. Experienced by males and females, orgasms are controlled by the involuntary or autonomic nervous system. They are usually associated with involuntary actions, including muscular spasms in multiple areas of the body, a general euphoric sensation, and, frequently, body movements and vocalizations. The period after orgasm is typically a relaxing experience, attributed to the release of the neurohormones oxytocin and prolactin as well as endorphins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G-spot</span> Hypothesized anatomical detail

The G-spot, also called the Gräfenberg spot, is characterized as an erogenous area of the vagina that, when stimulated, may lead to strong sexual arousal, powerful orgasms and potential female ejaculation. It is typically reported to be located 5–8 cm (2–3 in) up the front (anterior) vaginal wall between the vaginal opening and the urethra and is a sensitive area that may be part of the female prostate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex position</span> Position of the body used for sexual activities

A sex position is a positioning of the bodies that people use to engage in sexual intercourse or other sexual activities. Sexual acts are generally described by the positions the participants adopt in order to perform those acts. Though sexual intercourse generally involves penetration of the body of one person by another, sex positions commonly involve non-penetrative sexual activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missionary position</span> Sex position

The missionary position or man-on-top position is a sex position in which, generally, a woman lies on her back and spreads her legs and a man lies on top of her while they face each other and engage in vaginal intercourse. The position may also be used for other sexual activity, such as anal sex. It is commonly associated with heterosexual sexual activity, but is also used by same-sex couples. It may involve sexual penetration or non-penetrative sex, and its penile-vaginal aspect is an example of ventro-ventral (front-to-front) reproductive activity. Variations of the position allow varying degrees of clitoral stimulation, depth of penetration, participation on the part of the woman, and the likelihood and speed of orgasm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woman on top</span> Sex position in which a woman is on top of another person

Woman on top is any sex position in which the woman is on top of her sexual partner during sexual activity. The position most commonly associated with the woman on top is often called the cowgirl or riding position, which derives its name from the image of the woman "riding" the man as a cowgirl rides a bucking horse. In that position, a man typically lies on his back with his legs closed, while the female partner straddles him, usually in a kneeling position facing either forward or back, and either the man or woman inserts the man's erect penis into the woman's vagina or anus. The cowgirl position is commonly cited as one of the more popular sex positions, especially by women, because it gives them control over the rhythm and pace of vaginal stimulation and the extent and duration of penetration and because of its ability to adequately stimulate the clitoris. There are other positions in which the woman may be on top, including the 69 position and the pompoir sex position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doggy style</span> Sex position

Doggy style is a sex position in which one participant bends over, crouches on all fours, or lies on their abdomen, for sexual intercourse, other forms of sexual penetration or other sexual activity. Doggy style is a form of a rear-entry position, others being with the receiving partner lying on the side in the spoons sex position or the reverse cowgirl sex position. Non-penetrative sex in this position may also be regarded as doggy style.

The human sexual response cycle is a four-stage model of physiological responses to sexual stimulation, which, in order of their occurrence, are the excitement, plateau, orgasmic, and resolution phases. This physiological response model was first formulated by William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson, in their 1966 book Human Sexual Response. Since that time, other models regarding human sexual response have been formulated by several scholars who have criticized certain inaccuracies in the human sexual response cycle model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erotic sexual denial</span> Refraining from sexual experiences to increase erotic arousal

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labia</span> Parts of the vulva

The labia are the major externally visible portions of the vulva. In humans and other primates, there are two pairs of labia: the labia majora are large and thick folds of skin that cover the vulva's other parts while the labia minora are the inner folds of skin between the outer labia that surround and protect the urethral and vaginal openings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fingering (sexual act)</span> Use of fingers to sexually stimulate

Fingering is sexual stimulation of the vulva or vagina by using the fingers. Vaginal fingering is legally and medically called digital penetration or digital penetration of the vagina. The term "digital" takes its significance from the English word 'digit', which refers to a finger, thumb, or toe. Fingering may also include the use of fingers to stimulate the anus.

A clitoral pump is a sex toy designed for sexual pleasure that is applied to the clitoris to create suction and increase blood flow and sensitivity. A clitoral pump is designed to be used on the entire external clitoris including the clitoral hood. Other designs of pump exist for the labia, the entire vulva and, in some cases, the nipples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G-spot vibrator</span> Sex toy

A G-spot vibrator is a sex toy with female and male varieties. The female version of the device is built to massage the G-spot, described as a bean-shaped area of the vagina. Some women report that it is an erogenous zone which, when stimulated, can lead to strong sexual arousal, powerful orgasms and female ejaculation. The male version of the G-spot vibrator is used for massaging the prostate for both sexual and health-related reasons.

Labia stretching, also referred to as labia elongation or labia pulling, is the act of lengthening the labia minora through manual manipulation (pulling) or physical equipment. It is a familial cultural practice in parts of Eastern and Southern Africa, and a body modification practice elsewhere. It is performed for sexual enhancement for the benefit of both partners, aesthetics, symmetry and gratification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human female sexuality</span> Physiology, identity and behavior

Human female sexuality encompasses a broad range of behaviors and processes, including female sexual identity and sexual behavior, the physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, and spiritual or religious aspects of sexual activity. Various aspects and dimensions of female sexuality, as a part of human sexuality, have also been addressed by principles of ethics, morality, and theology. In almost any historical era and culture, the arts, including literary and visual arts, as well as popular culture, present a substantial portion of a given society's views on human sexuality, which includes both implicit (covert) and explicit (overt) aspects and manifestations of feminine sexuality and behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vulva</span> External genitalia of the female mammal

In mammals, the vulva consists of the external female genitalia. The human vulva includes the mons pubis, labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, vestibular bulbs, vulval vestibule, urinary meatus, the vaginal opening, hymen, and Bartholin's and Skene's vestibular glands. The urinary meatus is also included as it opens into the vulval vestibule. The vulva includes the entrance to the vagina, which leads to the uterus, and provides a double layer of protection for this by the folds of the outer and inner labia. Pelvic floor muscles support the structures of the vulva. Other muscles of the urogenital triangle also give support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoni massage</span> A type of tantric erotic massage, focusing on the female erogenous zones

Yoni massage or yonic massage, derived from the word Yoni, a representation of the vulva which symbolizes the goddess Shakti, is a type of Tantric full-body massage. It primarily focuses on the labia, clitoris, G-spot, uterus, the breasts, the anus and other erogenous zones. Yoni massage is the female equivalent of a Lingam massage. The massage is viewed as therapeutic and is sometimes used as a method of relieving tension, pain, or general discomfort of the vagina. It has been claimed by some practitioners to be helpful to achieve fertilisation, although there is no scientific support for this claim.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to human sexuality:

Penile-vaginal intercourse or vaginal intercourse is a form of penetrative sexual intercourse in human sexuality, in which an erect penis is inserted into a vagina. Synonyms are: vaginal sex, cohabitation, coitus, intimacy, or (poetic) lovemaking. It corresponds to mating or copulation in non-human animals.

References

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  2. Culture of Pulling - Weddings in Uganda Archived 2014-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
  3. 1 2 Kunyaza, the secret to female orgasm, AfrikNews, 30 July 2008
  4. Oxlund, Bjarke (2011) [1st pub. 2011]. "Let's Talk About Sex: Comparing Notes from Qualitative Research on Men, Relationships and Sex in South Africa and Rwanda". In Barrett, Barbara Ann & Groes-Green, Christian (eds.). Studying Intimate Matters: Engaging Methodological Challenges in Studies on Gender, Sexuality and Reproductive Health in sub-Saharan Africa. Fountain Publishers. p. 103. ISBN   978-9970-02-999-0.
  5. New sex craze that has Nairobi women begging for more, Standard Digital News, 23 March 2015
  6. Former TV Presenter Offers Sex Advice To Kenyan Ladies Archived 2020-10-29 at the Wayback Machine , Nairobi Wire, 9 June 2014
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  13. Kunyaza Book Reveals Secrets to Female Pleasure, Rabaah.com
  14. 7 inspiring ways to get sexual pleasure without penetration. Cosmopolitan
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