At Least Ten Sheep In Damages

I am not laughing. Really I am not. But, what I see here is not merely a case of castration. I think it is a lesson in what can happen when the ground rules are not clearly established in a relationship.

"'I don't have a penis now ,' he explained, showing the BBC's reporter his wound.

Mr Mewet admitted he did have a girlfriend, but said he was at a loss to understand his wife's actions as she was aware that he had other girlfriends when they got married.

'She knew that I had many girlfriends, and I don't know why she complained when I got another girlfriend,' he said.
According to Mr Mewet, castration is unprecedented in Maasai culture, as there is no traditional punishment.

'If you kill somebody you must pay 49 cows, even if you've removed somebody's tooth - it's one sheep. But this has never happened to a Maasai,' he said. "

It seems to me that not only did the wife not have the same views on extra-marital affairs, she didn't quite grasp the culture of wife-beating as a means to prove that one isn't henpecked. There probably should have been a wee bit more pre-marital discussion on what the norms were in that community.

If she ever comes in from hiding, this will be pursued in the courts. But what is the value of a penis? Murder is 49 cows. A tooth is one sheep. Ten sheep? 20 cows? What do you think?