In Cameroon, most people believe that the Massa people do not practice circumcision. This is not quite exact. It is true that in ancient times, the northern ethnicity which are mostly animists did not circumcise their boys. However, times are changing, so do customs and traditions. "Today, things are evolving. Each parent decide or not to have his child circumcised, either at birth, immediately after, or when he is 10 years old. Others prefer to leave the kids themselves decide when they are grown", explains Jean Pahai, a Massa who is also a Geography professor at the University of Yaoundé.

Generally, circumcision is practiced for religious, medical or cultural reasons. This practice has spread over the world mainly due to Judaism and Islam. "Yet, not all men are circumcised. In fact, there are more uncircumcised than circumcised men around the world. In China which the world's most populous nation for example, only few men are circumcised", says Pahai.

Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009 revealed that only 661 million men above 15 years are circumcised, that is “about 30% of men worldwide”.