CHAPTER 5: FINDINGS OF THE STUDY AND DISCUSSION
3. VIRGINITY FOR THE PROMOTION OF SOCIETY (SOCIAL CONTROL)
5.2.3 INFLUENCE OF IMMIGRATION ON CULTURAL PERCEPTION TOWARDS THE PRACTICE OF PRESERVING VIRGINITY
5.1.1.2 DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATED WITH MAINTAINING VIRGINITY
97
realised that the way of seeing things in their new environment is practically different from what the left in the country, so for them to be accepted, the only thing to do is to adopt what young woman and men are doing, by trying to do what everybody is doing here in Durban, they have now abandon our culture. Only those who are very strong could resist (Jacob interview24/10/2017)
The need for maintaining virginity is more required here in Durban then in the DRC and Congolese migrant women are divided in different categories according to the way they understand this need. Some are positive keepers, people that understand the importance of the culture and have accepted to abide by it no matter the circumstances. Migration or not, the requirements of the culture should be observed. Others are negative keepers of the culture, those who consider the practice of preserving virginity as ‘old fashioned’. Lastly, there are those that understand the importance of keeping the practice but feel the guilt of their sexual life and live a contradictory narrative experience that they could not share in public, therefore shift narrative.
98
To explore these concerns further, I asked the following question: “How is the culture in your new Durban community, regarding keeping virginity as a form of purity before marriage?”
The general impression of all the participants was that in Durban young women are very light in behaviour, the saddest part being that some Congolese are trying to imitate the lifestyle found in Durban
Charlotte when answering this question said:
My first impression was that here young women are very light in behaviour, even Congoleses are easily imitating national young women. (Charlotte interview 27/07/2017).
Ilunga said:
In Durban many don’t have that education (culture), because, I have noticed that women get involved with man at early age and some even have kids while they still at school. (Ilunga interview 20/10/2017).
Josee said something similar:
Here in Durban, girls are influenced to have boyfriend, grade 8 girls they know already about boyfriends (Josee interview 10/08/2017).
Germaine said:
It’s not easy, the way I see people being influenced willingly, other are just victims, they succumbed easily, just because of the kind of friends they entertained. It’s like being in a new environment with a new culture different with what you have learn, other are just naïve and fall in the trap (Germaine interview 18/10/2017).
One hundred percent of my respondents state that in Durban they don’t observe the culture of preserving virginity before marriage as it is in the DRC and attest also that Congolese migrants have been influenced by what they see, instead of keeping their culture.
A Study conducted in South Africa by Njogu & Orchardson-Mazrui (2013) found that South Africa is among the African countries that promote the preservation of virginity before marriage, for different reasons. In the Zulu culture of South Africa, for example, methods have even been devised to allow non-penetrative sex as a means of preserving virginity, preventing pregnancy, and preventing HIV (Njogu & Orchardson-Mazrui 2013).
However, despite the promotion of virginity, the high rates of teenage pregnancy in Africa, including South Africa, mean that many women are “overstepping the accepted boundaries that
99
define ‘proper’ female behaviour” (Leclerc-Madlala 2003: 17). The reasons behind this overstepping could be a concern for further research.
From the view of my respondents, they all disagree completely with what they see as behaviour among young women in Durban. I asked: “Do you agree or disagree with the views of this culture in your new Durban community, and why?”
Germaine said:
Here in Durban or in South Africa there is a mixture of culture (rainbow nation) but Congolese didn’t really keep their culture regarding keeping or preserving virginity as it’s in Congo, people think it’s an old fashion, From what I have noticed here in Durban people don’t give any value to that culture but I don’t really know all the Congolese families residing in Durban (Germaine 18/10/2017).
Antoinette added:
Keeping virginity is our mark (what characterise us as Congolese), why losing our culture because of others. Culture must not die, must not disappear, we have to keep our culture being outside our country or not the culture must not die. (Antoinette 18/10/2017).
South Africa has been a host country for many, which means there is an agglomeration of culture, beliefs and sexual practice which makes it difficult for Congolese migrants to maintain the practice of preserving virginity. As stated by Stewart et al. (2008), upon emigrating out of their countries of origin, the new communities of migrants comprise fresh assortments of people from different nationalities and upbringings. Peters and Sundaran (2015) note that the new migrant communities, comprise diverse migrants from different African and non-African nationalities, including citizens of the host nation.
The diverse community consisting of different cultures weakens the practice of the cultures of origin for Congolese migrants and becomes a big challenge for them to carry on outside of the DRC wih the culture of preserving virginity before marriage.
Hellgren and Serrano (2017) state that numerous agents such as strong familial cultural practices, financial and infrastructural resources, and political and economic circumstances affect the extent of change that occurs among individual migrants. I believe that Congolese migrant women’s limited financial resources, political and economic circumstances affects the extent of change that occurs among them and makes the practice of preserving virginity difficult.
100
5.1.1.3 FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PRACTICE OF PRESERVING VIRGINITY