Sexual Cleansing Ritual In Malawi Leaves Madonna Disgusted

Madonna was left shock and disgusted by a sex ritual done in Malawi in which young widows have to undergo after their husbands die.

The pop superstar admits that she had been sickened by some of the customs in the African country she had learned of while filming her new documentary "I Am Because We Are."

Madonna, 49, narrates in one segment of the film how a young widow, whose husband died of AIDS, is forced to have sexual intercourse three times with a stranger from outside her village. The act is believed to cleanse the woman.

She says, "When this woman's husband dies of AIDS, she is required by the village head tribal chief to go through this sexual cleansing. Until she does, basically the village is, like, at a standstill. And, if she refuses to do it, she will be ostracized by everyone."

"I Am Because We Are" received its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.