For my holiday job this summer, I’m working with some international students here on a research exchange programme. We’re doing topics like Cervical Cancer and Male Sexual Behaviour/Acceptability of Male Circumcision in an private interview format, which pretty much leads to lots of hilariously awkward moments.

Case in point: One of the girls I work with was relating a story about an interviewee who needed some clarification on the idea of circumcision.

Researcher: So, are you circumcised?

Interviewee: Yeah man!

Researcher: So would you allow your son to be circumcised?

Interviewee: Well, yeah man. You know seh a woman can circumcise a man, doah?

Researcher: What?

Interviewee: Yeh, when you deh have sex and di woman roll back di ting . . .

At which point the researcher interrupts and explains, using her fingers, that circumcision is a permanent surgical procedure.

He seems to get the idea and even tries to assist her demonstration with his fingers but the researcher, ever-cognizant of the boundaries of propriety, pulls back with an indignant ‘Uh-uh, get your own finger-penis!’