A Country Blocked by Fecalomas

[A few months ago Rome-based Fandango publisher printed a book entitled Affective Dictionary of the Italian Language. The editors contacted 315 Italian writers, then asked them to chose their favourite Italian word and write an explanation for the choice. One word for each writer, and the book lists them in alphabetical order. Wu Ming 1 opted for the term...]

FECALOMA [Engl. Fecaloma]. A majestically euphonic word, with a perfect sound. It sounds like it fell from the heavens of sacred languages (where Vedic Sanskrit lives) or emerged from the steaming volcano of African tongues, like a Yoruba prayer, uttered to show devotion to an Orisha.
The words with the “k” sound are laugh-inducing, as comic author Danny Simon (Neil’s brother) used to say. Yiddish is filled with such words, and they’re almost all insults: Schmuck, Schmendrick, Meeskeit. Yiddish is laugh-inducing. And comedians always say “fuck” and “cock”. Maybe it depends on the fact that, as we utter the voiceless velar occlusive sound, the tongue, the lips and all the facial muscles are already in the right position, they’re all ready to laugh. Pronounce “fecaloma” making the second syllable stand out: you’re already starting to laugh.
However, the word’s meaning is terrible: a “fecaloma” is a block of hard, petrified shit clogging the intestine. The large intestine, to be precise. In these conditions one no longer evacuates, doesn’t shit anymore. The problem is resolved by enema.
Ancient fecalomas block the bowels of the country. Who will administer the enema? And then, is one enema enough? Isn’t there a need for a long, long hydrocolontherapy session to rinse the insides of this comatose monster?