For the first time, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves commented extensively on a video circulated on Social Media showing MP Fitzgerald Bramble getting his nipple pierced.
Gonsalves’s comments focused on a statement made by MP Bramble, who claimed that our African forefathers did piercings as a sign of strength and virility.
“What is this thing about piercing your nipple? He justifies it on the grounds of doing it for strength and masculinity and his Africanness. What does nipple piercing have to do with strength and masculinity?
First of all, if you pierce your nipple you cover it up and he wants to tell me the manifestation of your manliness and your strength and your masculinity is to pierce your nipple. come on, and then your Africanness.
I knew from my on the Anthropology of Africa that you don’t have nipple piercing among African men, certainty you don’t have among 62-year-old African men. Certainly, you don’t have it among the elders in the African traditional institutions or indeed in the modern parliament.
He must cut out this kind of demagogic nonsense, Just cut it out, about masculinity and strength and Africanness, it is pure rubbish. Which tribe does Bramble belong to where the men pierce the nipples?
If you want to justify it, and if anybody reads up on it if you go on to justify it on the basis that It’s a style. If you want to justify it on the basis that it’s about sexual stimulation, you know, but don’t be telling young males in this country that to show, to exhibit strength and masculinity you have to pierce your nipple. Come on, it’s just pure demagogic idiocy to justify it in those terms.
Albert Camus the Algerian French existentialist has written many important novels. In one of his novels called ‘The Outsider’ he has a phrase which says ‘Style like fine silk often hides eczema’.
As I said, I didn’t want to talk about this but don’t come on and tell young people that piercing your nipple is a mark of masculinity and strength and Africanness. I lived in Uganda and I’ve been to several African countries and I have studied the African civilization, so don’t come into our Caribbean civilization to tell young males to do this thing to exhibit my strength, my masculinity, my Africanness. Good Lord!
What he wants to do himself is not my concern but don’t come and say that to encourage young people, young males to do this sort of thing. I mean, when you do that, I will speak out like how I just spoke out”.
Gonsalves was speaking on NBC radio on Wednesday morning when he made the comments.
