Cross-cultural practices of African initiation into manhood: A psychological process of personal growth and development

Abstract

The initiation of young boys into the traditional cultural rites of passage to manhood in Africa is upheld with enigmatic ideological practices that may not makes sense to non-initiates and non-partisans of the process. This paper examined the Nama and Xhosa people’s initiation ceremonies and rituals in South Africa both for the boys and girls and how it enables them take up their roles as adult men and women. Others include the six initiation practices by the Bamana men of Southwestern Mali which are ‘n’domo, komo, Nama, kono, tyiwara and kore’. The importance of this initiation of young ones to attain the status of adulthood in their lives was highlighted. The initiation practices of the Keyo people which include the Nandi, Kipsigis, Tugen, Marakwet of Kenya and the Sebei of Uganda were also reviewed. Other initiation practices such as the Kwottos in the Northern Nigeria where young people engage in Ori initiation of the boys to become men and the ogo initiation in Afikpo area of South Eastern Nigeria were considered. The paper concludes that the African initiation process into manhood has both psychological and spiritual benefits to the initiates as it helps them discover themselves and have an integral sense of self and connectedness with the universe.