The Rwanda-Rundish word ‘kunyaza’ is derived from the verb kunyaàra, meaning ‘to urinate’. But ‘kunyaza’ is also a way of stimulating women to the point of having a squirting orgasm. Kunyaza is therefor also translated as ‘wet sex’. This technique is known under different names in different African regions. The Ugandan term is ‘kakyabali’ (often spelt as kachabali in western spelling), or ‘Western Jazz’ in slang, because of its prevalence in western regions such as Angola. But what is so special about Kunyaza and what can we Westerners learn from it?
What is Kunyaza?
Kunyaza is a technique to make women experience a (squirting) orgasm. Men from Rwanda, Burundi, western Uganda, western Tanzania, and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo use it to pleasure their wives. Female tourists from Europe were first introduced to it by having sex with local men.
In Rwanda, kunyaza is a traditional way of sexual gratification. Popular tradition suggests that it dates back to the time of the Third Dynasty: according to the story, the queen chose one of her guards to have sex with, but he suffered from performance anxiety and failed to penetrate her. Instead, his penis rubbing against her labia and clitoris (rugongo) gave her the desired satisfaction. The flow of moisture he induced in her was so abundant that it formed one of Africa’s great lakes! When her husband returned, she taught him how she wanted to be satisfied with this non-penetrating clit-tapping technique.
The technique involves rhythmically tapping, slapping and rubbing a stiff penis against the vulva and clitoris to increase female pleasure and induce erotic female ejaculation. In Rwanda, 90% of women say they ejaculate with kunyaza. Traditionally, Rwandan men are taught about female anatomy and women are encouraged to squirt during sexual intimacy.
Rwandan men love women who are extremely wet, but they also have a not too flattering nickname for women prone to lavish squirting: ‘shami ryıikivu’, meaning ‘put a bucket under her’.
If a man could not do it, the families would get together and discuss the matter. They would take back the girl and return the cow that had been given as dowry because the groom was a weak man.
How does kunyaza work?
Dr Nsekuye Bizimana – author of several books on female orgasm and the African way of love – promotes kunyaza as a way to achieve female orgasm, often in the form of ejaculation. According to him, the technique consists of a non-penetrative and a penetrative phase:
- First, the male partner stimulates the female partner’s labia minora by tapping and rubbing against it with his penis. Once the female partner has a certain state of arousal, he proceeds in the same way to stimulate the inside of the labia minora and vulval vestibule, including the urinary meatus, followed by stimulation of the clitoris, the vulval vestibule; the labia minora and the vaginal opening. Bizamana recommends removing the female partner’s pubic hair so that this friction of the penis against the vulva is as comfortable as possible.
- The second phase consists of penetration alternating shallow penetration (gucuga) with deep thrusts (gucumita) against the cervix. During penetration, he makes exaggerated circular movements between the vaginal walls in a ‘screwing’ manner. He does this by holding the penis between middle and index fingers.
Other sources stress that the version introduced by Dr Bizimana differs from the traditional kunyaza. Traditionally, girls in Rwanda pull their labia to make them as large as possible (gukuna). This tradition is seen by some as an integral part of kunyaza. Others see it as a form of genital mutilation.
Positions
Kunyaza can be practised in different positions:
- Seated: the man sits and the woman sits on his lap
- Backwards (doggy style)
- Lying down
- Sideways (spooning position)
- Standing
In both the lying and sitting positions, the woman makes circular movements with her hips. There would also be a position especially for pregnant women, but I have not been able to find anything specific about it.
Western sceptics of kunyaza
Many Western sexologists are highly sceptical of kunyaza’s ability to induce female ejaculation and multiple orgasms in women. Unlike the Rwandan tradition, in the West, stimulation of the G-spot rather than external clitoral stimulation is seen as the most effective way to achieve female ejaculation.
However, according to Dr Hernando Chaves, a sexologist from California, it is possible that genetic factors, race and culture play a role in female ejaculation in different cultures. He thinks women from different cultures have different pelvic floor muscle strength.
Rwandan sexologist Vestine Dusabe believes that kunyaza should definitely be maintained because it is an effective Rwandan tradition and crucial to maintaining a healthy sexual relationship. She criticises westerners’ scepticism about kunyaza’s ability to trigger female ejaculation and tells her fellow Africans not to pay attention to criticism from the West; “White people don’t believe in it because they don’t know it, they have never tried to spring that water.”
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