Kunyaza

Terminology

The Rwanda-Rundi word kunyaza is derived from the verb kunyaàra, meaning "to urinate" but also signifying female ejaculation achieved by the practice. It is known with various names in different regions, the regular Ugandan term being kakyabali (often kachabali in anglicised spelling) or "Western Jazz" in slang, due to its prevalence in western regions such as Ankole.

Geographic extent

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

History

Kunyaza is usually considered a traditional practice in Rwanda and the folk tradition suggests that it dates back to the Third Dynasty rule. According to the lore, a royal guard the queen chose to have sex became very anxious and failed to penetrate the queen but instead, his penis rubbing against her labia and clitoris gave satisfaction.

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 German-based Rwandan traditional medicine specialist Nsekuye Bizimana. A Chinese translation of Le secret de l’amour à l’africaine was published in Hong Kong in 2010.

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. Removal of the female partner's pubic hair is advised for more comfortable manipulation of the penis.

2. In this practice, the male partner engages in a specific sexual technique that involves alternating between shallow and deep thrusts. The shallow thrusts (gucuga) occur at the vaginal entrance, while the deep thrusts (gucumita) target the area near the cervix. This method is characterized by pronounced circular motions along the vaginal walls, resembling a "screwing" motion during penetration. The technique is often facilitated by the male partner holding the penis between the middle and index fingers to aid in movement.

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.

In media

Kunyaza and other Rwandan sexual practices were featured in the TV5 Québec Canada documentary Le Sexe autour du monde: Rwanda aired in January 2011. The instructional DVD Kunyaza - Afrikanische Liebeskunst by erotic film director Pierre Roshan was released by German IntimateFilm in 2011. 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. ProSieben news magazine Unter fremden Decken aired the episode Sex in Ruanda that focused on kunyaza in November 2013.