It is an African tribal tradition that,
before a boy can become a man, he must go through an initiation.
Toward the end of their high school careers, boys are sent out to the
African bush (the wilderness), to survive, usually for about 4 weeks.
It is not really acceptable to ask questions about initiations, so I
don’t know much more about what being in the bush looks like for
them. At the end of those 4 weeks, they are circumcised to signify
their manhood. While they are gone, they have no contact with their
families. Even if a boy died during his initiation, they would have a
funeral for him, and not tell his mother until the rest of the boys
from his tribe came back from the bush. After their circumcision,
they get to have a feast, prepared for them by their mothers. When
they get home, they have to wear a suit coat and a hat everyday for
about 6 months.
If a boy does not go through his
initiation, he will never be considered a man. No woman would want to
marry a boy, and if, for some reason he did find a wife and have
children, they would not be obligated to listen to or respect their
father because he is not a real man. Men are superior to boys and
deserve a different level of respect, so when a boy becomes a man,
the dynamic of all his friendships changes.
Tribal traditions are definitely
interesting!
