African Womanhood and Incontinent Bodies by Kathomi Gatwiri

Author:Kathomi Gatwiri
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Springer Singapore, Singapore

In an environment where women’s bodies are already constructed as polluting and lacking containment because they leak (Grosz 1994; Murray 2014; Turner 2006, p. 224), Onsere would find it particularly hard to feel comfortable and contained when teaching in a classroom. Others, like Imbodo and Igandu, reported that since developing the fistulas, their bodies tire very easily, and they were no longer able to handle hard physical chores like they could before. This is consistent with what Mselle et al. (2011) reported in their study: they said that women living with obstetric fistulas also most likely suffer from chronic fatigue. There is often associated pressure when women with fistulas are constantly questioned about why they did not want to work, and being constantly asked to describe their ‘unseen’ symptoms. Generally, women living with vaginal fistulas report experiencing low levels of energy and high fatigue. The loss of work for Imbodo and Igandu heightened their poverty levels, disconnected them from the community at a socio-economic level, and worsened the impact of the disease. Naliaka also narrates:I do not work; I used to farm but with fistula I cannot really do it well; I depend on the children to bring for me. They also do not have reliable jobs. It is hard and it makes me feel bad relying on them like that. If I could work, I could send my children to school or make my life better. (Naliaka)

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